Reservations For Two, More May Be Coming
by dfcfanfics
Summary: Adrien finally summons up his courage and writes a letter, asking Ladybug out on a date... which, of course, sends her skyrocketing. Now all she has to figure out is how to say "yes"... and how they're actually going to DO the couple thing. A Ladrien flight-of-fancy in several parts. 5/13: Chapter 6, the conclusion, is up. Thank you all for reading.
1. My Baby, He Wrote Me A Letter

MiraculElse #4: Reservations For Two... More May Be Coming

by DFC

(Timeframe: Present. A standalone flight-of-fancy in a handful of parts.)

* * *

CHAPTER 1: My Baby, He Wrote Me A Letter

* * *

"Pound it!"

Another day, another supervillain downed. Ladybug and Chat Noir's latest assailant was pesky, disrupting one of the downtown shopping districts and throwing cars around, but in the end they took it down and purified its Akuma without breaking much of a sweat.

Afterwards, Ladybug was thoughtful about the experience. "I think I'm seeing a pattern in these last few villains Hawkmoth has sent. The big, hairy one in the Latin Quarter was just a brute, but this one's powers were..."

Ordinarily, Chat would've at least pretended to pay attention to Ladybug's analysis... but today he had something important on his mind. _Maybe I'm just kidding myself,_ Adrien thought. _Maybe I'm just seeing what I want to see. But I have to at least give this a try because it's eating me alive._

"I'll, uh, be right back, Ladybug. Gotta stop by the little heroes' room for a second." She gave him a strange look, but stood waiting while watching him dart around the next corner.

Once out of sight, Chat doubled back behind a row of stores and found a secluded spot. "Claws in!" he declared, and Plagg emerged as Chat transformed back to Adrien. The tiny Kwami dove into Adrien's pocket as Adrien took off running down the alleyway and emerged on the other side of the block. He checked his hair in a store window. "Do I look okay?" he asked quietly.

"You're fine, kid," a voice from his pocket murmured. "Good luck."

Rounding the corner, Adrien saw Ladybug standing idly where he'd left her as Chat, still deep in thought. _Time to test my theory_ , he said to himself, approaching her.

* * *

Ladybug waited, perhaps a little too impatiently, for her partner to return. She muttered a couple of good-natured jibes under her breath about boys and their inherent strangeness, then dove back into her previous line of thinking. _If Hawkmoth has Akumatized the same type of person three times in a row now,_ she thought, _maybe there's something they have in common that we can use to predict the next-_

"Hello, Ladybug!" said a pleasant and familiar voice behind her.

 _Eep!_ She jumped a little, involuntarily, then spun around to face Adrien. Any thoughts of detective work vanished as the sight of her crush object took over every available brain cycle. "Oh - uh - Adrien! Hi!" she bubbled out with a nervous smile. "I'm glad to - I wasn't expecting - what are you doing here?" _EASY, Marinette!_ she thought. _Full sentences. You're Ladybug right now. You can do this._

"I was, um, out doing some shopping for... uh... some shopping," Adrien replied. _Really s_ _mooth_. _Focus._ "I saw you fighting that villain and had to come cheer you on," he continued.

"Great! I mean, you know, he was pretty easy to beat," Ladybug said. "Much easier than that fencer girl that time." They both winced a little; Riposte had been a seriously dangerous opponent, and had nearly cut both Adrien and Ladybug in half in a previous adventure.

"You and Chat could beat anyone," said Adrien. "So, what are you doing now?"

"Um, waiting for Chat Noir. He took off for some reason, I needed to talk to him about something, he should be back soon. He'd better be back soon. Not that we, uh, need more company." Her grin was infectious and seemingly impossible for her to turn off. "How, uh, how about you?"

"I do have to get going. My bodyguard is waiting, as usual, but I had to see you. To say hello to you when I saw you here, I mean," Adrien replied. "I hope we cross paths again soon."

Ladybug's eyes shone. "Me too, Adrien." They waved to each other as Adrien walked in the direction from which he'd came. Once he was out of sight, Ladybug let out a tiny squeal and closed her eyes; this was the indisputable highlight of her day.

A few moments later, another pleasant and familiar voice behind Ladybug said "I'm back, my lady," bringing her most of the way back to primary consciousness.

"Hey, Chat. ...You done with, uh, whatever you were doing? Never mind, I don't want to know," she replied. "I, um... I had some things about the villain to talk about but I just... can't think of them right now. Next time?"

"You okay, Ladybug?" Chat asked, with an odd grin.

"Yeah. I'm just... yeah, I'm good. I'll see you later. Good job today. Bug out!"

The heroes swung and hopped away in opposite directions, both minds buzzing.

* * *

Ladybug landed on her balcony, transformed back to Marinette, climbed down through the hatch and into her bedroom. "Eeeeeeee!" she squeaked, falling into her desk chair in a pleasant haze. Tikki popped out of her purse, amused.

"A good night all around, Marinette?" Tikki asked.

"A _wonnnnderful_ night _,"_ Marinette replied, spinning the chair in circles. "I was so not expecting to see Adrien tonight."

"But you see him every day at school, don't you? Isn't that just as exciting?" Tikki teased knowingly.

"This was SO different, Tikki," she said. "We're good friends in school but when I'm Ladybug, he just seems to... I don't know... he lights up so much more. I could just KISS him. Except I'd probably faint if I tried it."

Tikki grinned at Marinette. She was sworn to secrecy regarding the heroes' secret identities, which made observing this four-way dance frustrating at times but often fun to watch. "You could always just tell Adrien how you feel about him, as Marinette. It'd make everything so much easier..."

Marinette twitched. "Oh, I couldn't - I can't - I tried - could I?"

"Be patient, Marinette," soothed Tikki. "Adrien thinks the world of you. Someday he'll fall for you, I'm sure."

* * *

Adrien closed his eyes. "I have fallen **so hard** for her, Plagg."

The Kwami floated around the room aimlessly as Adrien sighed, "And I CAN'T BELIEVE what just happened!"

"I KNOW," Plagg barked. "We were RIGHT NEXT TO one of the very best cheese shops in Paris and you DIDN'T GO IN."

"I'll get you your cheese, sheesh. But you saw it, right?"

"Saw what?"

"Ladybug, tonight. When I surprised her, she was jumpy, she kept looking away, but smiiing. She couldn't stop smiling. She was fidgety, like she was nervous." Adrien's grin was huge.

"Maybe she had to go to the little heroes' room, too," suggested Plagg, wryly.

"No - don't you see?" Adrien said, excitedly. "She acts around me the way I act around HER. I'm around Ladybug all the time as Chat Noir, and I've seen her around all kinds of people. She's always got it together. Nobody flusters her. Except with ME... but only when I'm Adrien."

"Then there was that strange Valentine I got this year," he continued. "It answered the love poem I wrote for Ladybug but never sent, and it wasn't signed but there was a little ladybug in the envelope. If that WAS her, I'd still like to know how she did that." He sat up abruptly.

"Plagg... I need to know what you think. I know that Ladybug told me - as Chat Noir - that there was another boy she loved. Could that boy... possibly be me?"

 _Marinette would crawl through fire to hold your hand as Adrien_ , Plagg thought. _And she's Ladybug. But I can't say that out loud_. "Maybe you should ask her," he ventured. "You just can't let her know that you're also Chat Noir."

"I know," Adrien agreed. "I can't pull that 'Chat disappears, oh hey! Adrien just showed up!' trick too many times or she'll figure me out for sure. But I usually only see Ladybug when I'm Chat. It's not like I see her in school every day."

Plagg whistled. "What?" he asked when Adrien gave him a funny look.

"Okay, smart guy," Adrien challenged. "Then how do I get a message from Adrien to Ladybug without making her suspicious that I'm Chat Noir?"

"I do have one idea..." Plagg said. "You still know how to write that sappy love poetry you put in your Valentine, right?"

* * *

Two nights later, Marinette was doing some design sketches on her couch when she felt a faint buzz by her side. She made a quick excuse and went upstairs. "What's up, Tikki?"

Tikki emerged from hiding and replied, "I think Chat tried to contact you just now." Marinette switched to Ladybug and saw that she did have a voice message on her communicator, asking her to meet him when she could at a location not far from the Louvre.

When she got there, Chat was standing coolly by a lamppost, or at least as coolly as he could act with his every nerve on fire. He faked it as well as he could, anyway.

"What's up, partner?" Ladybug asked. "You didn't really say in your message. Is it a villain? An Akuma sighting?"

"Nothing that serious," Chat said, shaking his head. "Actually, I'm just playing delivery boy. Someone asked me to pass a message along to you. Do you know a guy named Adrien?"

Ladybug tried and failed not to twitch. "Adrien... Agreste?"

"That might be him. Blonde, our age. Actually, he looked a little like that guy." Chat jerked his thumb towards a nearby ADRIEN: THE FRAGRANCE poster still hanging from a nearby signboard.

 _Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee_ "Uh, yeah, I've met him. Once or twice," Ladybug deadpanned. "What did he say?"

"He didn't," replied Chat. "He asked me to give you this." He pulled out an envelope and handed it to her. _Ladybug_ was written on the front in what she knew by heart to be Adrien's penmanship.

"A letter?" *BOOMBA-BOOMBA-BOOM* went her heart. She started to open it, then stopped. "You didn't read this, did you?" she asked.

"Nope. On my honor as a gentleman and as a cat," Chat said, with an exaggerated bow.

Any other time, Ladybug would've made a wry comment on that, but right now her curiosity was boiling over. She opened the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper, upon which was handwritten in cursive script:

Dear Ladybug,

I have something to ask you - something I have wanted to ask you for a very long time.

I promise that I am in no trouble, and don't need rescuing from any villains this time,

though every time that's happened you've been my wonderful knight in shining spotted armor.

But this time, it's quite the opposite. If you would be interested, may I rescue YOU from

villain-fighting duty some evening, and treat you to a nice night out together?

We could do anything you'd like - dinner (though I'll warn that my cooking is scary at best,

so perhaps a restaurant), a movie, ice cream, a long walk together, or anything else that

you like to do as yourself. I would love to really get to know the amazing girl behind the mask,

and promise that I understand that the mask must stay on.

If your heart lies elsewhere, I understand completely.

I hope to hear from you soon. Please say yes!

\- Adrien

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please picture a hand-drawn smile after "must stay on" and a hand-drawn heart after "Adrien" in the lines above, as your humble storyteller is fighting his formatting tools. Picture them drawn with care and devotion. There! Isn't that better than picturing my just typing ALT-1 and ALT-3 and calling it a day? Of course it is. Now, please carry on.)

* * *

Ladybug read the letter. She read it again. She read it again. She read it again. She wasn't sure if they could hear her heart pounding in Bangkok, but she was sure that the entire European Union was wondering what that loud thumping noise was.

 _ADRIEN IS ASKING ME OUT ON A DATE. ADRIEN IS ASKING _ME_ OUT ON A DATE. _ADRIEN_ IS ASKING _ME_ OUT ON A -_

She looked up at Chat, seeing that he was looking at her with rapt attention, obviously quite curious and gauging her reaction. Gently, her moral compass reached out and forced her giddy heart to peek at her partner.

 _Oh... Oh! I can't do this in front of him. Chat has feelings for me and he just delivered someone else's love letter to me! He is so sweet and oh crap he has to be _dying_ over there. I have to pretend like this is no big deal and spare him._

Ladybug mustered up all the willpower she had left. "Huh," she said. "It's... some personal thing. I'll look at it more later."

Chat remained poker-faced.

Ladybug swallowed hard. "Hey, thanks for getting this to me, partner! I'll, uh, talk to him when I see him next." She gave Chat a quick hug, then said "I have to get back home, my parents will be looking for me. I'll see you soon, and thank you!"

Chat managed a thin smile. "Any time, bugaboo. 'Til next time."

He hopped a couple of blocks towards home, then found a place to transform back to Adrien. "I guess I got my answer," he moped.

"You did?" Plagg asked. "I didn't hear her say yes or no."

"That's just it," replied Adrien. "You saw how she responded. She didn't get excited, she didn't really react much at all. 'Some personal thing,' huh? Maybe I was wrong, and I'm not the guy she likes after all. Let's go home, buddy."

* * *

A ladybug has wings, and can use them to fly with the greatest of ease. On this night in particular, so did its namesake... or at least Ladybug didn't remember using her yo-yo once all the way home. All she knew was that she had the greatest thing she'd seen in her entire life in an envelope in her hand.

The moment she dropped down into her room, Marinette bounced like a superball and literally screamed with joy into a pillow. "TIKKI! It happened it happened it happened it happened IT HAPPENED!"

Tikki smiled warmly in return. "I am so happy for you, Marinette, but -"

"ADRIEN ASKED ME OUT ON A DATE! WITH A BEAUTIFUL, ROMANTIC, WONDERFUL LETTER!" It was all Marinette could do to remain upright, as she reread the letter for the 853rd time.

"Well, yes... Adrien asked _Ladybug_ out on a date."

"And I'm Ladybug!"

"I know that, silly. But this might be a little trickier than you thought." Tikki took a deep breath; this was going to take a while. "Let's try to figure out a couple of things, okay?"

"OKAY!"

"Number one. Breathe."

"OKAY."

"Number two. _Breathe_."

"OKAY..." Marinette dialed herself down from a full boil to a steady simmer.

"Now... how are you going to tell him that you're interested?" Tikki asked.

"I'll see him at school tomorrow! I... uh... oh, yeah. Shoot."

"No, Ladybug can't sit in Marinette's seat tomorrow in class."

"I KNOW THAT! I could... call him...," Marinette pondered.

"And whose phone will you use?" Crap. Tikki was right. Calling Adrien from her phone or her parents' home phone as Ladybug would be a BIT of a giveaway. And calling from a friend's might make him think THEY were Ladybug, or at least open up a lot more questions.

She imagined Alya's face if Ladybug came up to her and asked, "Can I borrow your phone? I want to ask your best friend's megacrush out on a date." She'd have to think this through.

"Chat comes to visit me here sometimes, as Marinette. Maybe I could..." Marinette halted that thought before any more of it escaped her mouth. Showing up at Adrien's bedroom window in the dark of night was in the Advanced Fantasies 309 curriculum and she was quite happily still in the introductory class; besides, they'd probably find an unconscious Ladybug under the window in the morning, stone dead from embarrassment.

"...How _am_ I going to do this, Tikki?" she wondered aloud.

Tikki jumped in quickly, lest Marinette roller-coaster from dizzying heights to utter despair in 4.2 seconds. "You will find a way to spend time together. I know you will. And now that you know for sure that Adrien really does like you, maybe you can talk with him a lot more calmly." Marinette laughed, with a "Yeah" shrug of acknowledgement.

"But I just want you to be careful, and think out how to make it work and not put you or him or your identities in danger."

Marinette smiled back. "I will. I promise." Something Tikki said snuck in and registered in Marinette's brain. "Your identitiES?"

"Uh, you know. Marinette and Ladybug." _Whew! I don't slip up often, but that would've been a big one,_ thought Tikki.

* * *

The next day, sitting next to Marinette in class, Alya's radar was going off early and often. Marinette was absolutely supercharged with excitement for some reason, and Alya couldn't figure out why.

"What has gotten INTO you, girlfriend?" she whispered.

"Oh, nothing." Her grin implied quite the opposite.

"Did you... and Adrien..."

"Shhhh! He'll hear you! Or Ms. Bustier will."

They switched over to scribbling notes on their respective notepads and stealing glances, for more covert interrogation.

OH I KNOW SOMETHING IS UP

LIKE WHAT

I KNOW THAT SMILE

WHAT SMILE

THE ONE THAT A CHISEL COULDN'T GET OFF YOUR FACE

DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN

WE ARE SOOO GONNA TALK LATER

DID ADRIEN KISS YOU?

WHAT NO

DID YOU KISS HIM?!

OH I WISH

THEN WHAT

LATER

By this point Ms. Bustier was giving them a very obvious Don't Make Me Come Over There look, so they went back to taking actual notes. Alya thought, _Something juicy is going on and I will pry it out of you eventually._

* * *

At lunch, Marinette watched Adrien even more intently than usual from a nearby table. _He even chews his food adorably._ He nibbled on a sensible sandwich, joked with Max and Kim, had a conversation with Juleka, said hello to a few other people, and Marinette screamed _Come onnnnnnnnnnn_ in her mind. _He has to be alone sometime. He just has to._ How she was going to explain Ladybug's presence in the cafeteria, well, she was still working on that part but sometimes drastic actions had to be considered.

"So, Marinette, do you agree that we should paint your teeth green and make you walk backwards all the time?" Alya drawled.

"Huh? Oh, sure, sure," Marinette mumbled. She looked back, and saw Mylène waving a tube of green paint at her faux-menacingly. "Wait, WHAT?"

The rest of the table erupted in laughter. "Earth to Marinette. Do you read me? Over," Alya giggled. "Girl, what is on your MIND today? I mean, we know WHO. But what?"

"Is it anything that we can help with?" Mylène asked, she and Rose looking at Marinette eagerly.

"No, I'm not trying to do anything... crazy this time..." _Well, that was a lie._ "I'm just trying to build up some courage, like always." She saw Adrien excuse himself from his conversation and stand up. "I... think my soup didn't agree with me."

"Shouldn't you eat it before you'd know that?" grinned Alya, looking at the full cup.

"I'll be right back. I know what I'm doing." _Lie #2!,_ Marinette thought, as she walked by herself to a spot near the back door. From there, she could keep an eye on... here he came! Adrien was walking by himself in her general direction. He stopped before exiting the building, thought for a moment... and turned left into the men's restroom.

 _I will do a lot of things for love,_ Marinette thought. _Following Adrien into the bathroom isn't one of them._

After a minute or two, Adrien emerged, and walked out the doors into the courtyard. He picked a shady spot and sat down by himself, seemingly content.

 _Perfect! He's all alone. I only have about ten minutes to change to Ladybug without being seen, go talk to him, figure out how to get away, change back to Marinette and get back to class without being noticed._ Marinette sighed. _Easy, right?_

From her purse, Tikki murmured "Be careful, Marinette..."

Marinette muttered, "I know," and ducked around a corner. This was it. Her life-changing moment. She took a huge, deep breath. "Tikki... SPOTS -"

"Adriekiiiiins!" called a familiar voice.

Marinette winced. _Arrrrrgh!_ _NOT NOW, Chloe!_ She peeked around the corner and saw Chloe and Sabrina coming through the door and prancing towards the blonde-haired prey. There went any chance of getting alone time with Adrien before class resumed, costume or no costume.

She turned the corner to head back inside, dejected, only to walk right into her lunch tablemates who had apparently followed her out. _THAT would not have ended well_ , Marinette thought, imagining having to explain Ladybug's sudden appearance. _Close one._

"Anything you want to tell us now?" Alya smiled. "I, uh... thought I dropped something out here," managed Marinette feebly.

"If Chloe could be dropped, it would've happened long ago." The girls went back inside.

* * *

As the end of their last class of the day approached, Marinette's concentration was shot. If she didn't figure out something soon, she was going to crack. From what she could tell from the back of Adrien's head in the seat in front of her, Adrien was just as antsy. It was time for a rash and irrational action on somebody's part, and she was just the girl for the job.

Marinette raised her hand and asked, "Ms. Bustier, may I be excused to the restroom?" she asked. "Yes, but be quick," Ms. Bustier said. _Oh, I'll have to be._

She snuck out to the back of the school, where Tikki popped out and asked "Marinette, what are you doing?"

"Getting Adrien's attention before my head explodes. SPOTS ON!" "Wait, whaaaaaa..." Tikki said, as the transformation began and she was sucked in.

* * *

Adrien was more than ready for the end of the day. Class wasn't uninteresting, but he was riding an emotional rollercoaster and his brain was overloaded with thoughts of what Ladybug would say. Or what she wouldn't say. Or where they could go when she was in costume and he wasn't. Or what kind of food she might like. Or maybe he should just apologize and say "never mind, what was I thinking" the next time he saw her. Or maybe she would just -

 _*WHOOSH!*_

He glanced at the window. _I could have sworn I just saw a red-and-black blur swing by. I must have Ladybug on the brain. Gee, I wonder why-_

 _*WHOOSH!*_

 _Okay, that time I wasn't imagining it._

 _*WHOOSH!*_

Trying not to be obvious, he kept his eyes to the side, watching the window. He saw dark hair and a domino mask peer cautiously around its edge, and bluebell eyes that lit up when they saw him looking. She made a nudging motion with her head, towards the back of the school.

"What?" he mouthed silently.

She motioned it again, twice. Nino saw Adrien being distracted and followed his gaze to the window, where he saw the top of a dark-haired head see him, go _Eek!_ and duck out of sight.

"May I be excused to the restroom, Ms. Bustier?" Adrien asked. "Yes, but be quick, please," Ms. Bustier said.

Nino shrugged. Weird things were starting to become the norm around this class.

* * *

Adrien ran off to his own favorite private transformation spot. Plagg asked, "Where are you going? Ladybug went that way."

"I know! It must be an emergency! She must need Chat Noir's help! Plagg, CLAWS OUT!" "I don't think so, waiiiiiiiiiiiit..."

Chat raced towards the back entrance to the school. _His lady needed him! No time to waste! Must be a supervillain attack, or -_

 _WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING?_

Actual, rational thoughts registered in his brain just in time.

 _Ladybug wasn't signaling Chat Noir just now! Duh, because she doesn't know that _I'm_ Chat Noir! If I run out that door now, I blow my secret identity! How dumb can I almost be..._

His brain continued to reassert itself. _Wait. If she wasn't signaling Chat, she must've been signaling ME, Adrien. But why would Ladybug-_

 _Oh!_

Chat doubled back to his hiding spot as fast as he could run, calling "Claws in!" once out of sight.

Plagg buzzed around frantically once he reappeared. "Do you have ANY IDEA what you're doing?"

"Not today, I don't!" Adrien hollered back. "But I'm working on it!"

* * *

This time, Adrien actually went through the back door. He looked around, frantically, and heard a "Psst!"coming from his left. Quickly, he scooted around a pillar, and was rewarded with a gigantic smile.

"Hi," Ladybug said.

"Hi, yourself," said Adrien. "So I did see what I thought I saw."

"I know," laughed Ladybug. "I was trying not to make a scene. If I just burst into your classroom, they'd probably call an Akuma Alert and evacuate everyone. Did anyone else see me?"

"Just Nino, the guy sitting next to me, I think. He won't say anything. My teacher was writing on the board the whole time."

"So..." they said simultaneously. Both laughed, then their eyes met.

"May I assume that you got my letter?" Adrien asked.

"I did," Ladybug said. The blush in her cheeks sent his pulse racing. "And I think I melted a little."

"Then I'll ask it again because I'd love to see that up close," replied Adrien, with a radiant smile. "Ladybug... would you-"

*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNG* The final bell sounded abruptly.

"Uh-oh. So much for privacy," cringed Ladybug.

"I don't care if they know," Adrien said.

"Oh, no. We're doing this the right way." Quickly, Ladybug tossed her yo-yo skyward, put her arm around Adrien's waist and sent both of them soaring up to the roof. They backed away from the edge a few steps, out of most line-of-sight from the ground, and stood facing each other.

"You were saying?" beamed Ladybug.

"Ladybug... would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner, um... whenever and wherever we can figure out how to do it?" asked Adrien.

"I would absolutely love that," Ladybug cooed.

She moved in and hugged him tightly; he held her just as close. As much as time can, it stood still.

* * *

A growing tide of voices and doors beneath them brought them gently back to awareness. "I, uh, should get going before people see us and wonder what we're doing up here," Ladybug said.

"Let them wonder. I've been dreaming of doing this for too long," replied Adrien.

"That's no way to get me to let go," she whispered.

"Good."

Very reluctantly, they stepped back slightly, their fingers still touching, both grinning from ear to ear.

Ladybug took a breath and said, "I know that between your father and all the things he has you do, and my secret identity, and supervillains showing up all the time... I don't know how soon we can do this. Or how we're going to do this. But we're GOING to do this."

"Absolutely."

She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Call me!" she whispered, and then she was gone.

* * *

Downstairs, Ladybug snuck back into the building and changed back to Marinette. She was riding the biggest wave of her life, as she floated down the hallway and back to Ms. Bustier's classroom to collect her purse and books.

Inside, Ms. Bustier was still at her desk, organizing some papers and preparing to leave. "Feel better?" she asked.

"Yes, Ms. Bustier."

"Care to explain where you went, Marinette?"

"Not really, Ms. Bustier."

"One day's detention?"

"Deal."

As Marinette turned to leave, Ms. Bustier noted Marinette's extremely buoyant mood. She asked, "Was it worth it?"

"Yes, Ms. Bustier."

"Good," she said with a subtle wink. "See you tomorrow."

* * *

Marinette dashed out the front door of the school, ducked out of sight and tried not to pass out. "Tikki, I DID IT!"

Tikki smiled, "You did. I'm so glad that you're so happy."

"It felt SO RIGHT being in his arms. Like I was made to be there," glowed Marinette. "We're going to figure this out. Though... I can't help but think that I'm forgetting something."

"Two things," Tikki said quietly.

"Huh?"

* * *

Adrien laid flat on his back, his eyes closed, drinking it all in.

"Plagg?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm in love."

"I know."

A moment passed in silence.

"...Plagg?"

"Yeah?"

"...I'm on a roof."

"Yeah."

Another moment passed.

"...Plagg?"

"Uh-huh?"

"...How will I call Ladybug if I don't have her number?"

~end of Chapter 1~

* * *

NEXT TIME:

* Planning the perfect date.

* "So how did you get detention?" "Um..."

* Detective Alya is on the case.

* "Wait, I told him WHAT?"

* How To Pass Notes Without Being Seen.


	2. You've Got Mail!

CHAPTER 2: You've Got Mail!

* * *

On the first morning of her new Adrien Loves Me In At Least One Of My Identities life, Marinette woke up early with a huge smile. "Good morning, Tikki," she whispered.

Her loyal Kwami yawned and floated over to her. "Good morning, Marinette. Did you sleep well?"

"Pretty well. I might've had a few dreams keeping me awake for a while, but..." She grinned a sheepish grin.

"I can't say I'm surprised. Yesterday was a big day," Tikki smiled. "Just don't get carried away and forget everything else you need to do."

"Forget? Me?" Marinette feigned surprise. "I leave my new boyfriend stranded on a roof ONE TIME..."

"I mean everything in your life that isn't Adrien," giggled Tikki. "Like schoolwork, chores, your friends, looking both ways before you cross the street. Little things like that. Plus, you need to figure out a better way to contact Adrien as Ladybug than swinging by his classroom window."

"I know," groaned Marinette. "'Call me!' What the heck was I THINKING?"

Tikki replied, "You were thinking that the boy of your dreams was finally in your arms. I totally understand."

"Have you ever been in love, Tikki?" Marinette asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Of course!" she beamed. "Over a few thousand years, you go places, you meet some real cuties..." They both laughed.

Another thought struck Marinette. "Was it with another Kwami?"

"MARINETTE! A lady never tells."

* * *

Adrien woke up and started getting dressed, equally energized. The miracle had happened; Ladybug was crushing on him as much as he on her. He couldn't stop thinking about her smile, her eyes, that embrace... _that embrace!_ That was going to replay itself in his brain for a very, very long time.

"Hey there, loverboy!" Plagg chirped.

"Go ahead and tease," replied Adrien. "I'm still pinching myself to make sure that happened."

"So what have you got in mind?" Plagg asked. "Back to the balcony for another candlelight dinner?"

Adrien shook his head. "You mean the exact same thing I did as Chat Noir? I kinda think she might figure that out." He paused. "I'm figuring all of this out as I go along, Plagg. Dad's had me along to formal dinners and that sort of thing, but this will be my first real DATE. ...Whatever it ends up being."

"Whatever?"

"Well, like I said in my letter, I want her to be comfortable. I don't want to just say 'We're going to some fancy restaurant.' She might want something more casual. Or to go someplace special instead. Or to just spend time together. I don't know, Plagg, I have no frame of reference for this!"

Adrien looked thoughtful. "It's funny. I've spent so much time with her as Ladybug, I probably know her _as Ladybug_ better than anyone else. The mask doesn't change who she is, right? But when it comes to knowing what she's like the rest of the time, I'm starting from the beginning."

"Which is smart," agreed Plagg. "But it's still not that simple. Like, when you're Chat Noir, you're still Adrien, right? But you act different, and you sure talk different."

"You're right," Adrien said. "Which means I need to think it out even more. Maybe I _don't_ know the real her. But I definitely want to."

A knock at the door sent Plagg ducking for cover. Nathalie poked her head in and said, "Adrien? Your breakfast is downstairs. I have your daily schedule here."

Adrien flinched - he hadn't told her yet. "I... will be spending an extra hour at school today."

"Why is that?" _I can't tell you. But it was so, so, so worth it._

* * *

Marinette arrived at her first class, anticipating the third degree from Alya. She was not disappointed.

"Well, well. Someone looks awfully happy today," Alya teased as soon as Marinette took her seat.

"Oh, I am," grinned Marinette.

"Anything you want to tell me about yesterday?"

"Nope."

"Anything you want to tell me about how you disappeared from last period yesterday, and then Adrien disappeared too, and now you look like the cat that ate the canary?"

"Nnnnnnope." Marinette's lips said "No," but her grin widened substantially.

"Are you going to make me do this, girl?" Alya threatened good-naturedly.

Adrien, Nino and a few others entered together. Adrien greeted the girls and took his seat in front of Marinette. He didn't seem to give Marinette any special attention, but his grin was as wide as hers was. Alya gestured to Marinette as if to say _See? It's both of you_. Marinette remained enigmatic.

"I'm gonna ask him if you don't tell me," dared Alya.

Marinette shrugged, calling her bluff. "Go right ahead."

This stopped Alya for a moment; _THAT'S not the reaction I expected_. Nevertheless, she tapped Adrien on the shoulder, all the while giving Marinette a _Go ahead, stop me_ look. "Hey, Adrien?"

"Oh, hi, Alya. What's up?"

"I was just wondering...," she asked, just loud enough for the two of them, Marinette and Nino to hear. "When Marinette took off from class yesterday... and then you did too... you two weren't meeting up for a little rendezvous, were you?"

Adrien blinked with surprise. He looked at Marinette, who smiled back. "Did we? I really think that I'd remember that," she drawled.

"Not that I'm aware of," Adrien said, slowly. He was a little thrown that Alya had correctly deduced that he'd run off to hook up with SOMEONE, but he wasn't about to acknowledge that.

"Then where did you go, hmmm?" countered Alya.

"The bathroom? I didn't know that I needed to bring back a receipt."

Marinette cracked up laughing, as did Adrien. Alya smiled, a bit embarrassed, and Nino raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Suddenly, Adrien's face turned serious. "Actually..." He studied Marinette's face carefully, as if truly seeing her for the first time. She kept smiling, but with butterflies multiplying exponentially in her stomach. _No way. No... way. He couldn't have..._

"Nope. Still wasn't Marinette," grinned Adrien.

"You're SURE? Because now I'M starting to wonder..." Marinette giggled. The laughter around them redoubled.

"All right, you win this one," Alya said. _But I'm not done. Marinette, if I even suggested that you knew HOW to hook up with Adrien before today, you'd be scarlet and stuttering now. But now you're confident around him and you know something I don't. I'm glad that you're so happy, girl, but I'm gonna find out why if it's the last thing I do..._

* * *

At the end of the day, Marinette walked into the detention room, ready for a quiet hour of sketching and reading as proper payment for going AWOL yesterday. There were a couple of familiar faces - _huh, I wonder what Kim did?_ \- and a few people she didn't recognize as she sat down.

"You, too?" Adrien said from the back corner, making her whirl around.

"Oh! Hi!" Marinette quickly switched to a closer seat. "I never would've expected you here."

"Me? What about you? Our class representative, a juvenile delinquent? The shame!" Adrien replied. Marinette giggled, bringing a "Shhh!" from the teacher monitoring things up front.

The two lowered their voices to just above a whisper. "No, really, what happened?" asked Adrien.

"Oh, I had... something I really had to do, and I kinda ditched the last half of last period to do it," she replied. "I did the crime, I'm doing the time. How about you?"

"Pretty much the same," he said. "I bailed on Ms. Bustier too."

"Huh... Where'd you go?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Adrien said.

"Try me," she smiled. _After all, I was there._

"They, um, helped me down off the roof," Adrien said, sheepishly. Marinette suppressed a loud laugh, got a disapproving look from the monitor, and thought _I am never, ever, ever going to hear the last of leaving him on that roof._

"Dare I ask, uh, what you were doing up there?" asked Marinette. "Must've been something special."

"She is."

Marinette's jaw dropped a little, and she felt heat rushing to her cheeks. "Wow," she managed. "I wish I had a story I could tell like that." _I wish I could kiss you right now is what I wish_ , she thought. She raised an eyebrow and said "I don't want to know WHO, do-"

"Not Chloe," Adrien chuckled, making Marinette grin in response.

"You know me so well."

One more dirty look from the monitor made them turn back to their books for the rest of the hour, with the occasional shared glance and smile.

* * *

At home, Marinette made a quick excuse - "I was late to class by accident, Mom, it won't happen again!" - and settled in for a quiet night with family. Later, she went upstairs to get ready for bed, her mind buzzing with thoughts of how to see Adrien again as Ladybug.

"Okay, so I've been thinking," she said to Tikki. "Yes, actual thinking. I can't call him on the phone as Ladybug. I don't really want to pass messages from Ladybug as Marinette, or he might get suspicious... and I can't just tell him that I'm Ladybug."

"All correct so far," Tikki verified.

"And I have to be very careful with Chat Noir," she said, a little more seriously. "I really, really don't want to hurt his feelings. I'm not sure how he'll take it when I tell him that my Mystery Guy finally noticed me."

"He might surprise you," said Tikki, suppressing a laugh.

"You really think so?" Marinette asked, sitting at her computer. "I do," Tikki continued. "One thing Chat wants very much is to see you happy. And you certainly are right now."

"Happy? I'm BEYOND happy! And even happier once I set up a way Adrien and I can talk privately AND keep my two lives separate," said Marinette, typing and clicking. "Annnnnd... I think I just did."

"You did?" Tikki hovered close to the screen, trying to make sense of it.

"A new throwaway email account, free, anonymous, completely unconnected to Ladybug. Just another girl among millions on the Internet. No one will know that it's Ladybug swapping love notes on it - but he will."

"And how will he know?" Tikki asked.

"Chat's not the only one who can deliver messages, Tikki. Though I'll be a little stealthier about it."

Tikki still wasn't so sure. "It's still leaving a trail, though. If Adrien sends you messages like 'I can't wait to see you, Ladybug,' and somebody reads them, won't that be a giveaway?"

Marinette grinned. "I think I figured that out, too. I'll have him call me by a nickname, a regular girl's name. But one that'll make him think of me when he says it."

She whispered in Tikki's ear, and Tikki laughed. "Oh, I like that."

* * *

Marinette wrote up a note on her best stationery - her best non-monogrammed stationery, of course...

Dear Adrien,

Okay, I goofed when I told you "Call me!" I can't imagine why I was so distracted...

So let me make that up to you.

Mail me at ***************.com so that we can talk and make some plans.

You can call me "Dottie." ;)

I'll be waiting...

/(%)\

(P.S. I am SO SORRY about the ROOF THING)

* * *

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here we go again! Imagine the fine penmanship of a young woman writing her beloved with elaborate calligraphy. Imagine a hand-drawn ladybug instead of a crude ASCII representation, lovingly colored in with red ink. Imagine that I put an actual email address up there, to which some of you might actually try to send mail. Your imagination is excellent as always; bravo! Do continue, good reader.)

* * *

The next day, Marinette paused outside her school, preparing for her mission. Her task was to get her note into Adrien's hands without being seen - by Adrien or by anyone else.

"Be VERY CAREFUL, Marinette!" Tikki whispered from her purse. "You are LITERALLY carrying a note saying 'I am Ladybug.'"

"I know, Tikki. It will not fall into enemy hands."

"You're sure you couldn't have just put it in the regular mail, like your Valentine?"

"What if his father opened it? Or his bodyguard, or Nathalie? This needs a personal touch," Marinette reasoned. "Just not Ladybug's personal touch, here in school, if I can help it. She shows up in this school often enough as it is, so I don't want to attract even more suspicion that she's a student here." Tikki nodded in agreement.

"And as for Adrien," she continued, "he's... kind of a celebrity already, but I don't want to go public as Ladybug with him until I talk to him about it. Everybody knows that Ladybug knows Adrien. Nobody else knows we're dating yet. I don't know if he'll want to be front-page news on Alya's LadyBlog, or if that might put him or his family in danger."

"I'm glad that you're thinking about all of this, Marinette. But for now, focus on that note!"

Marinette nodded, then infiltrated the school lobby with purpose. The hunt was officially on.

* * *

 _The hunt is officially off during this morning's classes_ , Marinette thought.

Ms. Bustier had the students working together in pairs, and while she was happy to be working with Alya she was also not getting away any time soon. Besides, Adrien and Nino were busy together as well, and nonchalantly dropping it on Adrien's desk without Alya, Chloe, Ms. Bustier, or half the rest of the class seeing her do it would be impossible.

The note was burning a hole in her purse, of course, but she was pretty sure Tikki could keep it stitched together.

* * *

On the way to lunch, Marinette walked by Adrien's locker. _Should I just drop it in there now?_

It was a dilemma. On the one hand, it was quick and easy and it'd be over and done with. But she wouldn't know for SURE that he'd found it, and the birthday gift defacement incident showed that certain people could find their way into lockers that weren't theirs. She looked down at the envelope in her hands. And if-

"Look, Sabrina!" said a singsong voice. "Looks like SOMEONE'S dropping off a love note for Adrien." Chloe strode over, Sabrina close behind as usual, with an _And who are YOU to flirt with MY Adriekins?_ expression written all over Chloe's face.

"For one thing, it's not," Marinette retorted. "For another, so what if it WAS?"

Marinette's defiance surprised Chloe a little, but she rebounded quickly. "I think you know exactly why that's my business," she hissed.

"HE doesn't," snapped Marinette, with a cold smile.

Juleka and Rose, standing nearby, gasped slightly. Others started to turn their way, hearing claws being unsheathed.

"So what IS it, then?" Chloe snapped, making a grab for it. Marinette snatched it out of Chloe's reach. _Think, Marinette. Escape route. Nothing good can come from continuing this now._

"If you must know, it's a... macaron recipe," she blurted, looking for a way out of the escalating situation. "And the more I think about it, I need to change how much cream of tartar it calls for. Excuse me."

She marched off, trying not to turn green at the thought of Chloe reading her note aloud. _Oh, good_ , she thought, _now I have both Alya AND Chloe watching me like hawks._ The cloud of "Huh?" behind her faded into an undercurrent of chuckles at Chloe's expense.

"WHAT?" Chloe snapped, frantically looking around for someone else to feel superior to.

* * *

"What's next, Marinette?" Tikki whispered. "You have his schedule memorized by heart, so..."

"I'm not sure," she pondered. "He's in gym right now, and I am _not_ getting caught sneaking into the boys' locker room. That would go down in school history."

"That's an understatement."

"So...," Marinette mused. "I don't want to risk another detention, for me or him, and I doubt he'd let me pull him onto the roof again anyway." This got a chuckle from Tikki. "I guess I know how I ought to play this."

"You do?" Tikki had visions of a yo-yo with a note attached to it, dropping down from the ceiling tiles and hovering before Adrien's eyes in the middle of class.

"Watch me."

* * *

Last period dragged on, as last periods tend to do in school. Marinette did her best to remain calm, cool and collected until right before the final bell, at which point she tapped Adrien on the shoulder. When he turned her way, she whispered "Hey, before you go to your car today... can I talk with you for a second?"

Adrien looked a little surprised, but nodded with a smile. Nino looked more than a little surprised. Alya looked like she'd just swallowed a whole pineapple.

The bell rang, and the students flooded to the exits. Adrien hung back to wait for Marinette, and they stopped together in the hallway. "What's up?" he asked.

She gave him her best innocent smile. "I, uh... I had a surprise visitor last night at my house. You'll never guess who dropped in on my balcony!"

 _Well, that's my style as Chat Noir, but I know it wasn't me,_ thought Adrien. _And not many others can visit without using the front door._ "Who was it?"

"Ladybug! I couldn't believe it. I'd never seen her up close before like that," Marinette said, looking excited.

Adrien went a little pale. "She... did?"

"I was as surprised as you are, believe me. She was really nice, though," bubbled Marinette. _So far so good, keep going..._ "She asked me for a strange favor - she's seen me sitting behind you in a couple of classes, and asked if I could give you this for her." She handed the note to him, which he took, with just a touch of _Is this really happening_? on his face.

"Thank you, um... do you know what it says?" Adrien asked.

Marinette laughed. "That'd be like reading another girl's diary. I think that's a felony in Girl Court." _I can't resist_ , she thought. "So... you've met Ladybug? Do you know her well?" she asked him.

 _That is impossible for me to answer in about eight different ways._ "Y-yeah... she's actually rescued me a couple of times," Adrien managed.

"Cool! Well, um, I don't want to hold you up, your car's probably waiting, but I had to deliver that," smiled Marinette. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah! And, uh, thank you so much, Marinette," said Adrien. "...If you see Ladybug again, uh, tell her I said hi."

"Any time!" _Or you can tell her yourself once you read that,_ _and you'd better,_ she giggled to herself.

* * *

Once Adrien left, Marinette's calm and cool demeanor broke into a million giddy fragments. "TIKKI! Did you see that? Did you SEE THAT?"

"I did! That was amazing! You delivered the note, you faked him out, you kept your secret and you weren't even nervous talking to Adrien!" praised Tikki.

"NOT NERVOUS? Are you kidding me? Inside I was shaking like a LEAF! But Adrien is doubly important to me now. I have to get used to being close to him without freaking out, and this was good practice." She sighed. "He can give me the shivers as Ladybug all he wants."

"Hah! That's the Marinette I remember," Tikki laughed. "Whoa! Company!" She dove down deeper into Marinette's purse as Alya approached, wide-eyed.

"Am I seeing things?" Alya teased. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng talking to Adrien Agreste? All by themselves? And she started it? And HE was the one who looked nervous?"

"I KNOW, RIGHT?" Marinette burst out. "I MEAN... um... why would he be nervous around me?", she added, feigning some composure.

"I don't know what has gotten into you lately, Marinette, but I LIKE IT!" Alya beamed proudly. "What was that you gave him?"

"Oh... nothing much. It was... um... a design idea for a jewelry piece that he said he'd show his dad," said Marinette, scrambling for a reasonable explanation. "I'm not getting my hopes up too high, but Adrien said he liked it."

"You're sure you're Marinette? Are you feeling okay?" Alya feigned taking Marinette's temperature as they walked off together. "If you keep this up, you'll have that boy eating out of the palm of your hand."

Marinette's smile was huge, and even bigger on the inside. _I don't know about my palm, but he definitely did mention dinner..._

* * *

When Marinette got home, she waited about three nanoseconds before logging onto her computer with her new email account. "A watched pot never boils, Marinette," chided Tikki.

"A watched inbox will have Adrien in it any time now," she countered. "I like to think that Ladybug is more exciting to him than his piano practice."

"You did take a big risk doing that, you know," said Tikki. "I know that it worked, but you'll still have to be extra-careful not to let your identity slip."

"I know," Marinette said, her excitement dimming slightly. "It is NOT going to be easy to be near him during the day and not want to cuddle him." She sat on her bed, facing Tikki. "But it's funny... he IS a lot easier for me to talk to now, as myself. Kind of."

"It makes sense to me," Tikki reasoned. "You were so worried that he wouldn't fall for you that you couldn't think of anything else when he was around. But now that he has..."

"...a lot of that pressure's off," agreed Marinette. "Though I'd still give _anything_ for him to look at ME the way he looks at Ladybug."

"Hmmm." Tikki looked thoughtful.

 _*BONG!*_ went Marinette's computer. _*THWAM!*_ went Marinette into her desk chair, as if yanked there by magnets. "HE WROTE ME BACK!"

Marinette and Tikki stared at the monitor together...

"NNNNNGH!" Marinette shouted. "Spam, already? This is a brand new account! I don't even KNOW anyone in Nigeria."

* * *

Two people who had no communication problems, on the other hand, were Alya and Nino on the phone for their nightly chat.

"I couldn't believe it!," Alya exclaimed. "It was like a whole new Marinette! She was confident, flirty, calm... SHE TALKED TO ADRIEN, Nino!"

"Hey, go easy on her. I know what it's like to have a crush on someone and be tongue-tied and helpless. As you would recall," said Nino. "I'd probably still be standing speechless in that zoo crushing on Marinette if it hadn't been for you and Adrien coaching us."

"And I'm not knocking how that turned out, honey," smiled Alya. "But this was an... awfully quick turnaround on Marinette's part. And on Adrien's!"

She paused, trying to make sense of it all. "Has Adrien said anything... unusual about Marinette to you? Or has anything weird happened with him in general? Like, when they both disappeared the other day."

Nino thought back to what he'd seen. "Like, nothing with Marinette I can think of. The only thing that was strange..."

"Yeah?"

"I could've sworn that right before Adrien left, I saw Ladybug at the window. Like she was looking for someone."

This stopped Alya cold. "Ladybug? ...Are you sure?"

"Not entirely. It happened really fast."

"Keep your eyes open for me, honey. There's something going on here that I don't understand... But wow, would I like to."

* * *

Keeping her eyes open was becoming a problem for Marinette. Her watched pot was still lukewarm. She threw on her pajamas, laid out her clothes for the next day, and turned off the lights. The computer monitor across the room glowed softly - she wasn't giving up on that just yet - but a good night's sleep was also a welcome concept.

"Tikki, I'm not overreacting to all of this, am I? I mean, I've spent months with Adrien as my one and only goal. I'm _this close_ now, but am I reading too much into one letter and one date?" Marinette laid with her head on her pillow, staring into space, looking somewhat worried.

Tikki flew to her side. "When he was there with you in the courtyard and on the roof... what did his eyes tell you?"

This brought Marinette's smile back. "Everything that I'll ever need to know. Thank you, Tikki, that helps. Good night."

"Good night, Marinette," she answered. "Tomorrow is another day."

 _*BONG!*_ went the computer. It seemed that tonight wasn't over quite yet.

* * *

NEXT TIME:

* Paris is under attack from a WHAT now?

* A chat with Chat.

* "Are you ready?"

* "Actually... me too."

* "Whatever am I going to wear?"


	3. Something We Both Needed

Chapter 3: Something We Both Needed

* * *

In his room, Adrien read Ladybug's note for the umpteenth time. His memories certainly weren't going away, but this was something he could hold and touch, something physical that proved he wasn't dreaming.

 _Ladybug really is interested in me. She wants something more, just like I do. This is really happening_.

He smiled at "You can call me 'Dottie.'" _Like I haven't had dots on the brain since the day I met her_. "What do you think, Plagg?" he asked, seeing his Kwami hovering over his shoulder.

"Makes sense to me," he replied. "I was wondering how you two would stay in contact, unless you went out and got yourself captured by supervillains all the time."

"They're a lot more fun to beat up as Chat Noir," Adrien laughed. "But now that I know how to reach her, we can email each other, instant message, voice chat, video... we can keep in touch and we can both keep our identities safe."

"Your dad doesn't, uh... monitor your computer, does he?" Plagg worried.

"It's not impossible. He's certainly got me locked down every other way. All the more reason for Ladybug to use another name." He thought for a moment. "Think 'Dottie' is short for 'Dorothy?'"

"Nah," Plagg replied. "That's not her real name, either..."

Adrien froze, then gave Plagg an intense look. "...or she wouldn't be using it as a secret nickname like this!", Plagg continued, quickly.

"...Yeah. That makes sense," Adrien agreed. _WHEW_! Plagg thought. _That was almost really, really stupid of me. Like, weapons-grade stupid._

"Shouldn't you be writing back to her now?" asked Plagg to change the subject.

"Oh, I am!" Adrien said. "I've had, like, ten rough drafts in my head all day. Now that I'm finally done with everything else Dad and Nathalie had me doing, I can start typing..."

He hunkered down in front of the computer, trying to find just the right way to convert his heart to text.

* * *

*BONG!*

Half asleep, Marinette only vaguely registered the new-mail sound from her computer at first. A little voice in her head started screaming IT'S ADRIEN!, and it wasn't Tikki's.

As quickly as she could manage, she went to her desk and saw a Subject: line of _Sweet Dreams, Dottie_. THAT woke her up all the way. She clicked it and read...

It's probably too late tonight for me to catch you awake. Between Dad's projects, practices, lessons and

homework, I was running on empty most of the day. Probably because I wasn't paying attention to any

of them, because you were the only thing on my mind...

As you can see, I got your letter, and this was a great idea! (Not that we both didn't pick great messengers.)

I made up a couple of new accounts of my own for us to use. This is my email just for you, obviously;

that'll work for Skype, too, if we can do voice or video chat, and my IM ID will be ***********.

I'll be watching all of them as often as I can! I can't wait to see you again.

Adrien

A tiny part of Marinette reminded her that breathing was something she could do.

It was like an electric charge running through her whole body. _This isn't some romance novel, this isn't some silly fantasy of mine,_ she thought. _This is my Adrien. And he's saying these sweet things to ME._

An elfin impulse fluttered through her mind. _It may be almost midnight, but I _do_ know where he lives -_

A tiny voice from across the room said "School night," very quietly. "And your mother would disown you."

Marinette turned crimson. "I wasn't... I didn't... I'd never!" She climbed back into bed with a quiet "Good NIGHT, Tikki," but she was also grinning from ear to ear.

* * *

The next day, a Friday, Marinette went through her school day in a daze. Sleep, she had gotten - somehow - but she had a thousand and one plans buzzing through her head as to what to do next.

It took a supreme amount of willpower for her to keep her hands off her cell phone. She knew the risks involved; getting caught sending messages in class might get it taken away, and that was just messages as herself. Getting caught while logged in as "Dottie" could be supremely embarassing... or, even worse, what if Chloe or someone like her snooped over "Dottie's" shoulder? Or if Alya, well-meaning as she was, caught wind of her double life?

 _Sort of a triple life now, I guess,_ Marinette thought. _Well, not really, since Adrien knows "Dottie" is Ladybug. A double life with a half-twist and a somersault added on_.

The hardest part of keeping her phone tucked away, of course, was that every time she stole a glance at Adrien, he was stealing anxious glances at his.

* * *

After school, Marinette logged into the "Dottie" IM account she'd set up, and messaged Adrien.

"Hi!"

"Hi, yourself!" he replied. "What are you up to?"

"Just getting home from school," she typed. She waved to her friends as she went through her front door, then hugged her mom and took her books upstairs.

"It almost sounds funny to hear that from you. I mean, of course you were in school, we're about the same age! But, well, usually when I see you you're doing something very... different."

"Some days I think I'd trade one for the other. How was your day?"

"Not bad. Nothing exciting," Adrien responded. The two exchanged small talk for a while longer. "Doing anything tonight?" he inquired.

"Not that I know of. Got something in mind?" Marinette typed.

"Maybe figure out somewhere quiet and private we can go later, get to know each other better?"

"I like the way you think," she blushed. Next to her, the TV switched to a news bulletin. "Oh... crap."

"What is it?" asked Adrien.

"I'm watching the news. Paris is under attack from a... what?"

"I'm turning it on now. " He paused, then added "Well, there's something you don't see every day."

"Guess I need to run."

"Stay safe," Adrien typed. "And good luck. Hopefully your partner is watching too." He signed off, looked at the villain, or... whatever it was... on his TV again, and thought _Hawkmoth is losing it. Seriously_.

"Well, Plagg? Time to go help my girlfriend - and I'll never get tired of saying THAT. CLAWS OUT!"

* * *

"Pound it!"

The usual fist-bump heralded another victory over villainy. Behind them, Ladybug and Chat heard a news reporter say "Reporting live from downtown, where Ladybug and Chat Noir have defeated what has to be one of their most... bizarre opponents..."

"She can say that again," muttered Ladybug. "I think I need, like, four showers in a row."

"I may go run through a car wash," Chat agreed.

"Before you go... can we go somewhere for a minute and talk?" Ladybug said quietly. "I have something that I need to tell you about."

The two hopped up to the roof of a nearby building, out of range of microphones. "What's up, my lady?" Chat asked.

"Chat..." She looked down, a bit unsure of herself. "The night we fought Glaciator, when we met up on your balcony afterwards... remember how I told you there was another boy in my life?" He nodded. "Well... I guess you could say he finally noticed me, and we've started seeing each other."

Chat kept a straight face. Ladybug continued, "I know that you had feelings for me, and you are still my best friend and my best partner and you mean so much to me. I didn't want you to hear it from someone else, I wanted to tell you myself."

She wasn't sure what to expect, but she received a warm smile. "I'm really happy for you, bugaboo. Honest, I am! It means a lot to me that you wanted to cushion that for me," he said. "You'll never hurt me by being true to yourself. And if it will make you feel better, I... kinda just started seeing someone myself."

Ladybug's face lit up. "Really? That's great, Chat! How serious is it?"

"It's early yet, but I can't wait to see how it goes," he grinned. _More than you know_.

"C'mere," Chat motioned, and Ladybug gave him a friendly hug. "Whoever your guy is, he must have a Lucky Charm too, 'cause he's dating the very best. Go rock his world."

Ladybug stepped back, and both looked down at... whatever... it was that the villain had coated them with.

"And go get those four showers," they said together, laughing.

* * *

When Ladybug got home, she saw three messages on her cell phone from Alya. It was up to five by the time she decontaminated herself as Marinette in the shower. _It's a good thing that my costume is basically self-cleaning when I transform back, but my hair sure isn't._

She threw on some light clothes, wrapped a towel around her head and gave Alya a call. "Hey! I just got back," Marinette said. "What's going on?"

"Want to come out with me tonight? I'm on the trail of a juicy rumor for the LadyBlog..."

"A rumor?" _Uh-oh_. "What's going on?"

"Well, this is unconfirmed, of course. But I have a reliable source..."

"Alya..."

"Okay. I'm still putting this together," panted Alya. "You know how, for some weird reason, Hawkmoth has a thing about Akumatizing people in our class? Even Ms. Bustier got hit by one, and from what you said, that one was aimed at you! I thought it was just because, y'know, Chloe is Chloe and she attracts them like ants to sugar. But there's something else..."

"What's that?" _I'm not sure I like where this is going._

"Well... the other day, when you and Adrien both disappeared mysteriously? The last two people in the class who haven't become supervillains? A little bird told me that Ladybug might have been looking in our window."

 _Thanks, Nino! Chirp, chirp._ "Uh... what ARE you suggesting, Alya?" Marinette asked, with growing dread.

Alya hesitated briefly. "I think Ladybug thinks that we're about to get hit again. And Adrien knows something. And someonnnnnnnne else might know something..."

"EXCUSE me?"

"I'm not saying you DO! But... if a certain red-and-black hero talked to someone I know, and he or she knows that something's about to go down, and we could get some exclusive footage or interviews for the Ladyblog -"

"ALYA! I'm telling you, it's nothing like that. I can honestly say that I haven't talked to Ladybug." _My reflection in the mirror so doesn't count._

"Then what is it? Because something strange is -"

*BONG!* Marinette's computer lit up with a new email for Dottie.

"OH! I need to go, Alya! I promise we'll talk later, but he just emailed me and I'll see you, okay?" bubbled Marinette, hanging up quickly.

Alya stared at her phone with a bemused smile.

"He?"

* * *

Marinette opened the email from Adrien...

SUBJECT: Busy tonight?

Looks to me like you had a rough day today. Is there anything I can do to make it better?

Because I can get out tonight to "meet some friends" around eight, and there's no one I'd

rather be with tonight than you.

You name the place, I'll bring the snuggles.

\- Adrien

 _Angels do exist._

She wrote back:

SUBJECT: Re: Busy tonight?

You have no idea how much I need this right now. :)

If you can be in front of your house around eight, leave the transportation to me,

and I think I know just the place where we can watch the stars come out.

See you soon...

\- XOXO, Dottie

* * *

Marinette checked her watch, impatiently. It was a quarter to eight, finally time for her to head out.

"My first date with Adrien. Tikki, whatever am I going to wear?", she asked.

That got a laugh. "I think you've got the right outfit all picked out already," Tikki replied. "Red and black really are your colors."

Marinette checked the bag she'd thrown together, then asked "Ready, Tikki?"

"Ready if you are, Marinette," Tikki said. "I hope everything goes just perfect for you, and if it gets all kissy-lovey-dovey you can run off and transform back so I can give you advice..."

"TIKKI!" Marinette was nearly laughing too hard to get out a "SPOTS ON."

* * *

Outside his front gate, just far enough to the side to not be on the security cameras, Adrien looked around with butterflies in his stomach. He heard light footfalls behind him, and turned to see Ladybug wearing a big smile and a grey backpack. "Hi!"

"Hi, yourself! I see you came prepared," he answered.

"Oh, it's nothing much. I promise that you'll approve. Are you ready to go see some scenery?"

He gave her a look. THAT look. The look he had on the school steps that day, when he reached out with an umbrella and stole her heart without even trying. "Always," he said.

"Then let's do this." She put an arm around Adrien, about which he had no complaints, and swung them up and away into the evening sky.

* * *

A few minutes later, they landed on a hill not far from Montmartre, in a grassy clearing in between some tall trees. Adrien looked out and saw a gorgeous view stretching out over much of Paris, with the evening lights flickering on from neighborhood to neighborhood as he watched.

"Ladybug, this is breathtaking!" Adrien exclaimed. "This has to be one of the best views of the city I've ever seen."

"I'm glad you like it," she said. "I forget what brought me out here a few months ago - chasing an Akuma, maybe - but when I saw it I made a mental note to come back sometime. I just didn't imagine I'd have company like this."

"Oh, if you'd rather be alone..."

"Don't you move, mister. Unless you want to come flying back wrapped in a yo-yo," Ladybug giggled, rummaging in her backpack. She pulled out a blanket, which she unfolded and laid out on the grass. "If we're going to watch the stars come out, we might as well be comfortable."

"Perfect!" said Adrien, lying down on the left half of it. Ladybug stretched out on the right. "I threw some drinks and some cupcakes in there too, in case we need some snacks later," she added.

"So we're going to be here for a while?" Adrien smiled.

"Oh, I think we'll find plenty to talk about."

* * *

And they certainly did. They talked and laughed together for the next hour and a half, swapping stories, sharing whatever they could about themselves, describing what was going through their minds different times they'd been together, finding out lots of things they had in common. Obviously, Ladybug had a head start on what she already knew about Adrien as Marinette, but she also had to be cautious about saying things she knew but that Ladybug couldn't have known. Even then, they found ways to surprise each other.

At one point, Adrien got a hesitant look on his face. "Ladybug... I've got a question, and I'll have to phrase it carefully."

She nodded, "Go ahead."

"I don't NEED to know your real name, who you are under the mask. I mean, I want to know everything I can about you, with or without the mask... You're _you_ either way, you know what I mean? But I understand that some secrets have to stay secret. I'm not sure if you can answer this and you don't have to."

"Uh-huh..."

"But... okay, I'll ask it. Without your mask... do we know each other?"

Ladybug went quiet for a moment. "Would it make a difference?"

"Not really. I just have a part of me that's always going to wonder, even though I know I shouldn't."

 _Now what do I tell him?_ she thought. _I don't want to give it away, but I also don't want to lie. And if I'm going to be serious about him, I have to trust him about a lot of things._

"You don't have to answer that..." Adrien started.

"Yeah. We've definitely met."

Adrien's eyes got wide.

"Now, I don't want to turn this into Twenty Questions about WHERE and WHEN we've met, okay? But I'll be honest with you and say - we have crossed paths. Often enough that I know that you're so much more than just another handsome face."

Adrien looked thoughtful. "Let's see... you can't be Mrs. Garrison from the convenience store down the block..."

"Stop that, you!" ordered Ladybug, smacking him playfully. Mrs. Garrison had the kind of face usually only found perched above cathedrals.

* * *

Two cupcakes and another long conversation later, the two laid on their backs side by side, watching the stars twinkle, her hand holding his.

"This was a fantastic idea, Ladybug. I couldn't feel more at ease. I really didn't know what to expect tonight; this is all kind of new to me," he said.

"Really?" Ladybug turned to face him. "I would think that someone like you - kind, charming, devastatingly handsome..." She ignored him rolling his eyes at that. "...would certainly have had plenty of girls throwing themselves at him. I almost did, a few times," she grinned. "Not one of them ever swept you off your feet?"

"I'll be honest, too; I've never really had friends my own age. Chloe barely counts. As a friend or as my own age; emotionally, she's about ten years behind. I love being in my public school because I'm making real friends for once, and I've never had a girlfriend. Ever."

Ladybug sat up, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around her legs. "Well, we're pretty much even on that one. I don't swing just anyone up here, you know," she said, smiling at him. "You're the first boy I've dated, let alone something special like this. I'm figuring this out as I go, too."

Adrien sat up and put his arm around her. "Then we'll just have to learn from each other." She leaned her head on his shoulder and snuggled closer. "No rush, no pressure, nothing we're not both ready for," he whispered.

"I'm glad," Ladybug said, warmly. "I don't think many guys want to take things slow. One of many things that I really like about you."

Softly, Adrien added, "Though I must admit that I am curious... does slow include kissing?"

Ladybug's face tilted towards his, ever so slowly. "I certainly hope so," she breathed.

* * *

On the other side of town, Alya was watching TV with her parents. Suddenly, she sat straight up, with a startled expression on her face.

"Are you all right, dear?" her mother asked her.

"Yeah, it's... it's nothing. I just had a weird feeling about something," she replied.

 _I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if..._

* * *

Some time later, when they managed to catch their breath, Ladybug said, "There... is one other thing we ought to talk about. Do we want to be, y'know, public with this?"

Adrien joked, "What, like putting up posters of us? I'm on too many of those already."

"I'm serious," she said. "It's something we have to figure out. You're kind of a celebrity already, but you blend into a crowd much better than I do in costume. I want to go places with you, hold your hand in public, not have to hide, but I also don't want to make you a target. Even if the villains don't go 'Oh, look, it's the superhero's boyfriend, let's get him...'"

 _I'd like to see them try, actually_ , thought Adrien. _Though she wouldn't know that._

"...I remember the last time you tried to go to the movies, and you ended up grabbed by a giant gorilla," she continued. "After fans and paparazzi had chased you and, uh, that friend of yours all over town. That was WITHOUT a red-and-black target by your side."

He pondered for a moment. "I will give that some thought. I was actually going to ask you something similar; with my dad being who he is, and as close an eye as he keeps on me, I want to know if YOU can put up with that. There will be lots of times when I want to make plans with you and he'll shut them down at the last minute."

"Or I'll make plans and then a hundred-foot cabbage monster tries to eat the Eiffel Tower," Ladybug countered. "We both have unpredictable lives."

"Let's try and be one thing that we can each count on, then. If things get crazy, they get crazy. We can deal with crazy. But I haven't found you now just to let you go because I'm scared of something."

Adrien moved in closer, meeting her gaze. "I trusted you enough to jump off a building for you, and that was before... all this. Imagine what I would do to stay this close to you now."

If she was a cat, Ladybug would've been purring.

* * *

After a while, they ran out of words. Gazes and smiles were more than enough to get by.

"So... as wonderful as this is... I think we should probably head back soon," Adrien ventured. "I don't want my dad to send out search parties, and your parents would probably wonder, too."

"What, suspecting that I'm up on a hillside getting snuggly with a handsome boy? I doubt they'd believe it," Ladybug laughed. "Though I agree, I'd like to keep my reputation as a good girl a while longer, and actually make my curfew."

They packed up their things and Ladybug swung Adrien back to his front gate, standing just off to the side as before.

"Tonight was amazing, Adrien. Thank you for sharing it with me," Ladybug whispered.

"I couldn't have had a better time. Thank you for a night straight out of my dreams," he replied.

They kissed goodnight, short but sweet, and then Ladybug swung home for a very-much-needed good night's rest.

* * *

Adrien half-stumbled inside, happily overwhelmed. Nathalie was on the other side of the foyer. "Two minutes to eleven. Cutting it close. Did you enjoy your night out?"

"Immensely," he said.

"Good," she smiled. "You'll want to get right to bed, I'm sure. The next fragrance photoshoot is tomorrow at eight, so you'll need to be up and on the set by seven-fifteen, and then..."

What was left of Adrien's rational thought process nodded at the upcoming schedule, and he went upstairs to his room. The makeup artists would have to work with drooping eyes with dark circles under them tomorrow, because sleep wasn't even remotely an option any time soon. He laid back in his bed and closed his eyes, ready to replay Ladybug cuddling with him, in his arms, kissing him on an endless mental loop.

* * *

Transforming back as she arrived home, Marinette was in an equally pleasant daze as she stretched out in her bed.

"Was your first real kiss everything you hoped it would be?" Tikki whispered to her.

"Yes," she replied, dreamily. "Everything. And the next few dozen, too," she giggled.

"Good," Tikki said. "Adrien really does care for you..." _Even more than you know..._ "And that was a very good idea you had. I love that you're getting to know each other and not rushing into things."

"We have to do this right. It's too important to me not to."

* _bing_!* Marinette's phone beeped, announcing an incoming instant message for Dottie. "Speaking of..."

"Can't sleep," Adrien wrote. "There's a girl on my mind."

"Who is she? I'll wring her neck," typed Marinette, grinning.

"Don't do that. Need her to go out with me again."

"You pick this time."

Adrien pondered his options. "Andre's famous ice cream, maybe? We can make it official. Let him work his magic."

"If you're sure you want people to know we're a couple..." Marinette wrote.

"I'm sure."

Marinette glowed softly in the dark. "Okay, it's a date. We'll figure out when."

"Sweet dreams, Dottie."

"You too."

* * *

Tikki beamed. "Now, you can sleep?"

"Now, I can sleep. Maybe," said Marinette.

The Kwami rubbed against her cheek affectionately. "Good night, Marinette," and flew over to her own hiding place.

From across the room, she heard "...the best night" faintly.

* * *

Next time:

* "Sacre bleu!"

* "Alya, why are you looking at me like that?"

* An evening visit.

* Someone else takes notice.

* A big invitation... which might help explain the title.


	4. Complications and Reservations

Chapter 4: Complications and Reservations

* * *

Marinette all but danced down the stairs the next morning, meeting her parents for breakfast wearing a smile that nothing on Earth could dislodge. She knew that she should keep a low profile, since she could hardly talk about Ladybug's date with Adrien, but _come_ _on -_ the girl was in love. There was no other way to describe it, let alone hide it.

"Someone's in a really good mood this morning, Sabine," her father Tom commented.

"Did you have a nice night out with your friends, dear?" Sabine asked.

"My friends? Y-yeah! Yeah, we did. A really nice night," stammered Marinette. She kept her smile, but did some quick mental brainstorming as to how to explain where they would have gone. "Juleka and Rose and Adrien were having a band practice, they invited us along, so I met Alya and Nino and we all hung out there. The band's really getting good."

"Mmm-hmmm..." They decided to accept this as if it was true. They were young once themselves, after all. "That nice boy Adrien, was he there?" inquired Sabine, gently.

"Y-yes, he was. He plays keyboard for the band, I mentioned him."

"Adrien's the cute one you've had your eye on for a while, isn't he?" teased her father. Marinette turned not just her customary red, but a full purple. _Ah-ha! I think someone had a _very_ nice night out,_ he thought _._ _Good for her... I think_.

Sabine was equally perceptive. "I think someone finally noticed her, hmmm?"

"MOOOOOM!" Marinette was approaching ultraviolet. "It's complicated. It wasn't like that... He isn't..." she started, then squeaked "...okay maybe a little."

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Sabine beamed. "I'm happy for you. I like him. He's polite, he's nice, he's respectful."

Tom grinned. "Maybe we ought to invite him over for dinner here some night? Get to know him a little better."

"Ahhhh!" Marinette tried to look merely embarrassed instead of both embarassed AND shrieking internally, and settled for stream-of-consciousness nervous babbling. "Dad, we're... look, I don't know about that yet, we're not _there_ yet, I don't know if we will get _there_ , it was a really nice night and yes he is _so cute_ and I'm glad you like him and let me talk to him before we make any plans, okay?" _Not to mention that he's not dating ME, he's dating Ladybug, who just happens to also be me. That will only take until the twelfth of never to explain._

"Take your time, Marinette," replied Sabine. "We're just teasing. I'm glad you're so happy. I hope it goes well."

"Thank you, Mom." Marinette sighed in a little bit of relief. _That's one set of questions down. I still have to pass Alya's inspection sooner or later._

* * *

It didn't take long into the afternoon for Marinette's phone to *bing!* again.

"Hello, Dottie. How are you today?" messaged Adrien.

"Still tingling, if you must know :) ", Marinette typed.

"Good. I like it when we're matching."

"What are you up to?"

"Taking a break from a photoshoot. The photographer is insane as usual."

"Tough being gorgeous, isn't it?"

"You tell me." _Is it normal to blush just from text messages?_ thought Marinette.

"I'm helping my dad out today with some things, nothing special. Can't wait to see you again," she replied.

"Keep an eye on Andre's Facebook. When we figure out when and where he'll be, it's a date. Gotta run."

"XOXO."

Marinette took a deep breath. This was a big step for them as a couple. The "magic" in Andre's Sweetheart Ice Cream was legendary; couples who enjoyed his specially-crafted dessert delights were said to remain in love forever. Was that for real? Well... as she'd said once about it, "never say never." But Adrien and LADYBUG, in public, being romantic together... that had the potential to raise more than a few eyebrows. Was she ready for that?

He was. And if Adrien was brave enough to take her hand and lead, she'd follow him anywhere.

* * *

Adrien finished up his photoshoot duties, headed home, took a quick shower to lose the makeup and sweat, checked in with Nathalie - Dad was going to be occupied most of the day, no surprise there - and settled in for a few precious hours of "me" time. That was a rare luxury on a lot of days.

He looked at his phone and computer about a hundred times, but held back from peppering Ladybug with messages, tempting as it was. As someone with a double life of his own, he grasped that sometimes some space in one's non-costumed life was important. Not to mention that while Plagg wasn't his first choice for romantic advice, the Kwami's quip of "if you love her, don't hover" actually made a lot of sense...

There was one thing that was bothering him, though. "Plagg, can I ask you something?" he said.

"What's up?"

"About Ladybug," said Adrien. "There is a part of me that feels really... deceitful right now."

Plagg looked confused. "About what?"

"Well, you know what happened when I confessed to her as Chat Noir; she shut me down. And that was fine, and I totally get why she did. Especially NOW. But now she IS dating Chat Noir and she doesn't know it. I know I can't just TELL her, but I'm hiding something huge from someone I love. It doesn't feel right."

"Um..." Plagg rolled this around in his head. "First off, you're not the only one with this problem. Every Ladybug and Chat Noir get like this sooner or later."

"They do?" "Yeah," Plagg said. "You have a secret identity to protect, and so does she. Like she told you, she knows you without the mask. But she can't tell you who SHE really is, either. So neither of you is lying to each other because you want to; you're sharing everything that you can."

"Hmmm," Adrien pondered. "Do Ladybugs and Chat Noirs tend to end up together?"

"It's not, like, a requirement," replied Plagg. "But you're partners, you have each other's back, you risk your lives together. They always end up close. Sometimes that means smooches. Not always. This time's kinda funny, since she fell for your secret identity, and hers is..." He trailed off, realizing what he was saying.

"Hers is... what?" Adrien asked, intently.

"Nothing! Ignore that." Adrien growled, but let him continue. "I get that it feels funny. But Ladybug is one of the only people who'd also really get that because she's going through the same thing."

"And a hero and a, well, normal person going out isn't frowned on? Master Fu won't flip out?"

Plagg shrugged. "We love who we love. You're smart enough to be careful about it. I won't say that he'd jump for joy... but he'd probably understand. Plus, you're not normal as long as you've got me."

"So what you're saying is... be as honest as I can, but don't stress out too much over this," Adrien mused.

"Kinda, yeah. You're a good kid. It's obvious you're crazy about her, and you'd never hurt her on purpose. Keep being like that."

"Thanks, Plagg," said Adrien. "I don't have a lot of other people I can talk about things like this with." His eyes narrowed. "Maybe one."

"If you mean..." Plagg started. _NOPE! Shut up, Plagg,_ he thought. _You almost gave her up once in this conversation._ _Quit while you're ahead._ "Anyway, is there any cheese around for Plagg the Love Doctor?"

"Heh. I'll check the fridge."

* * *

Monday came around again, which meant school. Andre hadn't set up shop on Sunday, so "Dottie" and Adrien flirted over the phone some more but had otherwise bided their time, waiting for the right meet-up opportunity.

Marinette walked into her first class, still on cloud nine, waiting for Alya to pounce. To her surprise, Alya wore a knowing grin but said nothing about her suspicions during the first two classes they shared. They went to their usual lunch table together, joined by the rest of the girls, and Marinette got halfway through her sandwich before it happened.

"Sooooooo..." Alya inserted into the chatter. "It seems that SOMEONE here has a new boy in her life." All eyes went to Marinette, who closed her eyes and smiled. Rose was the one exception, looking around and asking "Who is it?"

 _Sneaky, Alya_ , Marinette thought. _One at a time, I can dodge questions, but now I have a full audience. Well played._

"And you're assuming this why, Alya?" she asked, weakly.

"Number one, that huge grin on your face. Yeah, that grin. Number two, 'Oh, I have to go, Alya, HE just emailed me!' the other night. And HE is...?"

"Oh, do NOT start this without me!" shouted Mylène, who was on her way to drop off her tray and trash. She scurried back, pulled her chair up, and Marinette now had five eager faces awaiting her answer.

"I... am... kind of... seeing someone now," Marinette admitted, which brought a round of cheers from the girls.

"Finally!" Alix said. "It's Adrien, right?"

"It's not..." _This is where it gets tricky. How do I explain that I'M not dating Adrien, Ladybug is, without blowing my identity?_ "I'm not dating Adrien. You know I wish."

"Ohhh..." Juleka's eyes lit up. "Is it my brother? If it is, it's cool, but I'm just gonna say that if it is I don't want to hear ANY stories about kissing him or -"

"No, no, it's not Luka either. I swear. I can't tell you who it is right now, we're still... working things out," Marinette said, frantically.

"Ooooo! A mystery man!" Rose bubbled.

"Someone older? A junior, maybe? A senior?" Mylène offered.

"I can't tell you that -"

"Younger!" tried Alix. "Robbing the cradle!"

"Nooooo! He's my age. But -"

"Don't you even try the old 'he lives in Canada' bit, either. He must be from around here," ordered Alya. "Do we know him?"

"I don't know... maybe..."

"Was there kissing?" Rose asked, and her eyes lit up when Marinette blushed hard. "There WAS KISSING!"

"Second base?" asked Alix. This got a look from the rest of the table. "What?" she snapped.

"Where did you meet him?" Mylène asked. "We weren't with you on Saturday, was it then? Where did you go?"

Marinette tried to crawl under the table. "You are killing me right now. KILLING me. I can't give details. It's all brand new and I'm not entirely sure how it's going to work out and ohhhhhhhhhh do I want to tell you what it felt like but I CAN'T. Not yet."

"Oh, I am so HAPPY for you, though!" Alya bear-hugged Marinette, and it quickly turned into a group hug. "We are _so going to find out eventually_ but this is so great, Marinette!"

"Thank you... I think," she laughed. _I am so doomed. But at least I'm doomed with good friends._

* * *

In her last class, Marinette saw Adrien look at his phone, then type something. She heard her own phone vibrate in her purse. _Yipes! Good thing I put my ringer on silent, or that'd be the whole game right there._

She kept her hands off of it for the rest of class, somehow, but couldn't resist walking up to Adrien on their way out. "Hi, Adrien! How was your weekend?" she asked him.

Adrien closed his eyes and grinned, involuntarily, sending a little thrill through her. He quickly composed himself, as if thinking _Wait, I can't tell her about THAT!_ , and said "Oh... pretty good. How about you?"

"Not bad at all. Had some family time, a little sightseeing... hung out with a friend," she smiled.

They exchanged small talk on the way down the steps, Marinette feeling Alya's eyes on her all the while. As Adrien headed to his car, Alya moved to her side. "Mystery man or no mystery man, you've still got it sooooo bad for Adrien."

"Yeah," Marinette agreed, absently. "Wait! Um..."

"You really can't tell me anything?" Alya asked her.

"Not now. It really is complicated," sighed Marinette. "I promise that I know what I'm doing."

"It's not, like, anyone... strange or dangerous..." Alya ventured, getting a huge laugh from Marinette.

"Oh yeah. I'm the new mama of a biker gang. We rule the streets," Marinette growled.

Alya busted out laughing at the absurdity of that. "No, I know your type. Sensitive and sweet. And I hope whoever it is, is all that. I'm here if you ever need to talk about it, okay?"

"Will do." She gave Alya a quick hug and then headed for home.

On the way there, she checked her Dottie account, and found a message from Adrien: "Look who's out tonight. Are you up for it?" There was a link to Andre's Facebook page, with his usual hints as to where he would be setting up his ice cream cart.

"Let's do it," she sent back.

* * *

Around seven-fifteen, Adrien stood by his front gate again. "Almost here?" he IMed, only to hear footfalls behind him.

"I'm afraid that won't help much. This costume doesn't really have pockets to put my phone in," Ladybug giggled. She hugged him, gave him a quick peck on the lips, and launched them towards the west end of Paris.

"You seem pretty comfortable zooming around like this," Ladybug noted. "Has some other girl been swinging you around town before me?"

"Only you," Adrien replied. "And I'm pretty sure you won't drop me."

Checking Adrien's phone and comparing notes, they found Andre near Le Marais. The pair landed nearby and walked over, hand-in-hand.

Andre, humming and singing as usual, finished a triple cone for his current customers, Kim and his new lady friend Ondine. "Now, you see, why I told you man-to-man, strawberry's better for you than butter pecan?" He looked up to see Ladybug and Adrien together. "My goodness! Miss Ladybug! A pleasure tonight. May I scoop some for you and... the boy to your right?"

"You certainly may," Ladybug said. "With your own special touch."

"Ah, I see the new sparkles of love in your eyes! So Andre will craft you a special surprise," he sang, digging in his cart and setting up a banana split. "Peach pink like his lips and mint like his eyes, strawberry, blackberries, she'll mesmerize! Blueberry just like her sky blue stare..." Andre paused, deep in thought. _'Zis combination... is strangely famil-iar..._

Ladybug gulped. _That's exactly what he made for me as Marinette. He couldn't... possibly know, could he?_

Andre's eyes grew wide as he examined Ladybug and Adrien with his practiced matchmaking gaze. "Sacre bleu!" he said in a whisper.

Quickly, Ladybug leaned forward to Andre's side. "It's, um, just a costume," she whispered in his ear.

"If you say so, it is so," he whispered back. "But any hero's secret is safe with Andre. Especially any hero who saved him one dark night."

Wide-eyed, she stepped back, as he presented them with his finished product. "On the house! This may be my finest creation yet. May it bring you two all the magic you deserve."

They brought it over to a nearby bench and dove in, enjoying every spoonful, gazing into each other's eyes as they ate.

* * *

About half an hour later, Alya was lounging with Nino at her house when she heard her computer chiming. "Hang on, honey, I think that's new mail on my LadyBlog account."

She checked and saw four new emails, the first titled LADYBUG SIGHTING AT ANDRE'S. She opened it, saying "Huh. I wonder if Chat Noir finally talked her into... WHAT?"

Attached was a cell phone photo labeled "Ladybug and Friend," which was clearly Ladybug and Adrien sharing an ice cream platter.

Alya blinked. _This had to be Photoshopped, right?_ She opened the next email, titled LADYBUG IN LOVE? This one showed Adrien feeding Ladybug a spoonful of blueberry ice cream, from a slightly different angle. The third and fourth showed similar familiarity between them.

"NINO, GET IN HERE NOW!" she yelled.

He ran in, looked at the screen and his jaw dropped. "Is that..."

"So I'm not hallucinating?" whispered Alya.

"If you are, I've got it too," said Nino. "I think part of the mystery just got solved."

 _I can't just put this up on the LadyBlog!_ Alya thought. _Though it'll be all over the Internet before long... but I owe it to them to at least check with them first. And, wow, what's MARINETTE going to do? Her head's going to explode. I'd better check on her ASAP..._

* * *

Ladybug landed with Adrien in front of his front gate, as usual. "So, how's it feel?" she asked him.

"To show the world how I feel about you?" Adrien replied. "Wonderful. Very natural."

"Good. Me too. I have to get home and get a few things done, but I'm so glad we did this tonight," Ladybug beamed. "See you soon?"

"Whenever we can. Good night..."

They shared a goodnight kiss, then another, one more for good luck, and finally she made herself let go and swing home.

* * *

Marinette dropped down into her room, where Tikki buzzed nervously around her.

"I'm not sure that was a good idea, Marinette," she worried.

"I'm not 100% sure either," admitted Marinette. "But we did talk it out first. It was a perfectly innocent night out for two people who like ice cream, it was Adrien's suggestion, we didn't do anything more than hold hands in front of people... It's not like we were doing this to parade for the cameras and show off, or made out on top of the Eiffel Tower! We just... don't want to have to hide that we like each other."

"And I get that. I just hope that this doesn't make Adrien a target."

"Isn't he already?" Marinette asked. "I mean, everyone in our class has been Akumatized one time or another. Pretty much everyone I know except Adrien has been targeted. Chat and I have done everything we can to stop Hawkmoth, but we still have no idea who he is or why he keeps hitting us in particular."

She slumped down in her chair. "I mean, if I thought that ANY of this would put Adrien in danger, I wouldn't have done it. I... love him. As a friend, always. Growing into something that's a whole lot more."

"I know you do, Marinette," said Tikki. "And I'm not yelling at you. I know how sincerely you really do care for him. And you shouldn't have to hide that! Just... see how this goes, and talk with him about it, and go from there."

"I will."

A faint *TH-BMMP!* came from her balcony, above.

* * *

Slightly earlier, Adrien stood by his front gate, still in a pleasant daze. He could believe that Ladybug's kisses could knock over the strongest supervillain. They could work that into their villain-fighting routine, except that he had no desire to share those with anyone else.

"What do you think, Plagg?" Adrien asked.

"She was kissing you, not me. My mouth's reserved for cheese," Plagg quipped.

"Aggggh! I'm all charged up and I'm excited and I'm nervous and I feel like I'm going to burst if I don't talk things out with someone," said Adrien. "This is so crazy."

"Well... how about your friend with the pigtails that you visit sometimes? She's really nice, and seems to understand you." _And if anyone's in an emotional state resembling yours, it's her,_ Plagg thought.

Adrien looked unsure. "Do you think she'd mind?"

 _If she knew who was under the mask, she sure wouldn't,_ thought Plagg. "One way to find out. I wouldn't go over and be all 'I kissed a girl blah blah blah, of course.'"

"Of course not. But Marinette's someone I feel like I can talk about anything with. A really special friend. Shall we?"

"Sure."

"CLAWS OUT!"

* * *

Marinette popped the hatch to her balcony and looked out. "Chat! Hi! I wasn't expecting you," she said, climbing up to meet him.

"I was... in the neighborhood. I kinda needed someone to talk to, and, well, I thought of you. That's something I do quite a bit," Chat said, flashing a smile. "Are you busy?"

"Of course I can make time for a friend. Have a seat, kitty." He pulled up a chair across from her. "What's on your mind?"

"Well... I'm in kind of a weird situation. I've talked your ear off so many times about Ladybug, but this time it's someone... a little different," Chat began.

"Different how?"

"One of us is a superhero, the other isn't," said Chat. "I mean, that should be obvious, right? There are, like, three heroes in Paris and Rena Rouge isn't really my type."

 _Actually, she'd be happy to know that,_ Marinette thought. "So, suave-and-swashbuckling Chat Noir fell for a regular girl, huh?"

Chat smiled. _It's the other way around, actually, but that's a better cover story. I know she knows who's dating Adrien, so that'd be a dead giveaway._ "Yeah, I guess he did."

Marinette raised an eyebrow. "This isn't some kind of sneaky love confession, is it? 'Oh, Marinette, it's always been you...'"

Quite suddenly, Chat's face turned serious, he leaned forward, and his eyes searched Marinette's intently. "And what if it was?" he said in an even tone.

Everything went still. Marinette's eyes felt as wide as dinner plates. A silent moment passed, then another...

...And then Chat and Marinette both fell over, laughing their heads off.

"...The look on your face!", Chat managed, catching his breath.

"All right, mister," giggled Marinette. "So some cutie turned your head. That happens, what, twice an hour?"

"It really doesn't," Chat said, returning to seriousness. "I talk a good game, but that's not how I really am. I may pretend to chase anything that moves, but I just want one of them to catch me. The right one."

"Awww," Marinette sighed. "And me without my net. So you like her, she likes you, so far so good?"

"It's good," Chat said. "It's great, really. I've only ever given my heart twice. The first time, she gave it back to me, in a very sweet way. This time, she gave me hers."

"Ohhhh... oh, Chat." This time she _really_ sighed.

"But I have to keep so many secrets from her, because of... well, all this..." Chat gestured at his mask and cat ears. "I have no choice about that. She knows me with and without the costume, but she has no idea that we're the same person, and that's driving me insane. I feel like I'm lying to her even though I'm really not."

That rang a bell in Marinette's head. "Keep talking."

"It's like, she sees one side of me, and she really likes me that way. She sees this other side of me, a very different me, and we get along great but it's not the same. And I want to bridge that gap so badly, but I literally can't, because of... Am I making any sense?" Chat asked.

"You are," said Marinette. "And whether you believe it or not, I can kind of relate to that feeling."

"Do tell."

"Well, first, keep in mind that I'm not exactly a lean, mean, dating machine myself. So far, my 'boys interested in me' list has been one supervillain and one other guy who ended up with my best friend. So take this with a grain of salt," Marinette grinned. "But as far as these sides of you, it's not about the costume, it's about the person in it."

Chat nodded, motioning for her to continue.

"Like, when I first met you," she said, "I could have written you off as being just a wisecracking flirt, chasing skirts all over Paris. I DIDN'T..." She grinned at the "Heeeey!" face he made. "And you still would've been my friend even if that's the only side of you I saw, 'cause you're a great guy. But look at us now. You're reaching out, you're being sensitive, you're talking out your feelings. To a GIRL, even. That's a part of you that anyone could fall for."

"Anyone?" Chat gave her a suggestive look.

"Almost anyone," she laughed. "But what I'm saying is that we all have parts of ourselves that are hard to share. Some," gesturing at the cat ears, "a little more difficult than others. But that's not your fault and I can tell you're doing the best you can with that."

"So what sides of Marinette do you keep hidden away?" Chat asked, thoughtfully.

"That's what I mean. You don't see me running around Paris in black leather, but I have issues like everyone else. I had a guy I was interested in... still am, honestly..." Marinette blushed, "and he's a wonderful, close friend and I can talk to him about anything OTHER than how I feel about him. I get close to that topic and my brain just goes blablablablablablabla. But then I see him in a... different setting, I guess you could call it... and I act differently and I can be different and he's responded to that."

"But I just can't put those two sides together, either," she said. "I'm trying. I'm getting a lot better at talking to him and being around him without becoming a babbling idiot. But I've got a long way to go, too."

Chat smiled, quietly.

"I guess what I mean," Marinette said, "is not to overthink it too much. And that's really funny coming from the Queen of Overthinking over here, but it's true. Whoever this girl is, there are a lot of things about you that she likes. There are things in your life you can't control, so work around them, deal with them the best you can. Show her all the sides of you that you can, be open with her, and a lot of the rest may take care of itself."

"Thank you so much, Marinette. You really are a wonderful friend," said Chat.

Marinette stepped forward and gave Chat a big hug. "Anytime, kittycat." He squeezed her tight in gratitude.

* * *

Alya wasn't sure what she was going to say to Marinette... but she was moving as fast as she could.

She'd seen her best friend be emotional, be jealous, be all but shattered by the thought of Adrien falling for someone else. Yeah, there was this new mystery guy, but deep in her heart Alya just couldn't picture Marinette giving up on Adrien. The girl was _smitten._ Maybe this supposed new hookup was some kind of elaborate cover story. And if she felt threatened by trash like Lila and Chloe, what would she do if she felt like LADYBUG was her competition?

Her bike flew around the corner onto Marinette's street, she got partway down the block... and she nearly rode straight into a utility pole. Somehow, her unconscious mind took care of applying the brakes.

She stood, utterly paralyzed by shock, looking up at her best friend's balcony. Not many people she knew had short pigtails, or wore cat ears and a tail, but two of them were up there wrapped around each other. She watched Chat Noir bounce away into the night and tried to process what she'd just seen.

* * *

Back at the Agreste mansion, Gabriel was, as usual, wondering where his son had gone. "I'm going to have to put a bell around that boy's neck," he muttered. "Any sign of him?" he called out.

Nathalie came flying down the hallway. "There is... and you're going to have to see it to believe it."

She motioned him over to look at her tablet, which was showing some trending Twitter topics. "What is this..." Gabriel started, only to be shushed as Nathalie clicked the #ADRIBUG hashtag. Her screen filled with pictures of his son and Ladybug enjoying Andre's ice cream together.

"That is... Adrien is out with that superhero girl? He is courting her?" Gabriel's face was stern.

"A bit more than courting." Nathalie switched to a video from the front security cameras, showing the pair kissing goodnight and then some.

"Well! This is an unforeseen development. And I must say that it is absolutely... delightful."

"It is?"

"When Adrien gets back here, tell him that I would like to speak with him... immediately." Gabriel walked back to his office. He had thinking to do and preparations to make.

* * *

Marinette climbed back down into her room. "Whew!" she said. "That was a rollercoaster. But maybe it helped me work through a few things myself."

From downstairs, she heard her mother calling. "Marinette? One of your friends stopped by to see you."

Her brain went _GAH!_ until she realized that her mother wasn't talking about Chat Noir. "I'm in my room, can you have her come up?" she hollered back.

Marinette did some quick tidying up, then turned around when she saw the door open. "Oh, hi, Alya! What's up? I was just..."

She saw a look of silent astonishment on Alya's face. "Alya... why are you looking at me like that?"

* * *

Adrien opened his father's office door with a feeling of dread. He knew that he'd been caught sneaking out again and was expecting a thorough tongue-lashing.

Gabriel stood to meet him, arms folded. "Am I to understand that you were out without permission tonight... romancing a certain young lady wearing a fetching red and black ensemble?"

 _Gulp! Busted._ Adrien nodded and said, "I was."

"And that, judging from what our cameras caught out front, she is as fond of you as you are of her?"

Again, Adrien didn't blink. "Yes, father. We've been getting to know each other very well recently, and this was our first night out as a couple."

"You can only imagine what I must think about this," intoned Gabriel, turning his back.

"I..." managed Adrien.

"I could not be more happy for you, Adrien."

 _WHAT?_ Adrien was stunned into silence.

Gabriel turned around with a broad smile. "I have met that young woman on a couple of occasions. She is brave, she is beautiful, she is intelligent, she is creative. She is a true hero of Paris, and I am proud that my son set his sights on, and won the heart of the very best."

Adrien gaped, astonished. "Th-thank you, father... I, um, I was terrified that you wouldn't approve."

"Why would I not? Besides, what would I be to tell my son whom he can and cannot love?" He put his arm around Adrien, warmly. "I have arranged a token of my approval, if you think that you and she would enjoy it. Are you familiar with the restaurant, Chez Coûteux?"

"Of course," stammered Adrien. "On the Avenue Gabriel, isn't it? I've heard their food is spectacular."

"Would you like to take your lady friend - and my credit card - there this Saturday night? I took the liberty of making reservations for two."

Adrien hugged his father tightly. "Thank you so much! I'll ask her tomorrow."

* * *

As Adrien left, Gabriel waited for the door to shut tightly. He then walked to the painting of his wife, pressed some secret buttons, and rode the elevated platform to a dark and imposing lair.

Nooroo floated to his side. "That was a very nice gesture of yours, Master."

Gabriel smirked. "It was, wasn't it? But it serves a very important purpose as well. It ensures that on Saturday night at six o'clock, Ladybug will be in a _precise_ location of my choosing. Her emotions for the young man with her will make her protect him... at any cost, including her Miraculous. And she will have no idea that she has walked straight into my trap until it is too late."

Nooroo shuddered. "You would put your own son in harm's way?"

"Hardly," stated Gabriel. "The villain I send will be under the strictest orders not to harm Adrien in any way. She, of course, will not know that."

"And you're sure that there will be someone there who can be Akumatized?" ventured Nooroo.

"Nooroo, there are three sureties in this world. The first is death. The second is taxes. The third is that in any fine French restaurant that exists, there will be people in the kitchen who are absolutely _miserable_ working there. The owner, first and foremost. It's in their blood. It will be a smorgasbord of agony to choose from."

Nooroo's head sank. "Master... you will break your son's heart."

"Oh, I don't think so. Once I have her Miraculous and that of Chat Noir, Adrien is welcome to comfort whatever girl lies beneath the mask. They can even keep the credit card for the night. She may thank me in the end. But she cannot stop me."

Gabriel's laugh echoed in the dark chamber. "DARKWINGS... RISE!"

* * *

Next time:

* A dinner date to remember. Perhaps one that will live in infamy. In fact, it's rather doubtful that Ladybug, Adrien, or anyone else within a few square miles of Chez Coûteux will ever forget it...


	5. A Date Which Will Live In Infamy

Chapter 5: A Date Which Will Live... In Infamy

* * *

Alya Césaire stood in her best friend's room, her mouth hanging open, her brain attempting to process what she had just witnessed.

In front of her, Marinette stood, a look of mounting confusion and dread on her face. "Alya... what is it? You look like you saw a ghost."

Alya sat down. "Now it all makes sense. It DOESN'T. AT ALL. But now it makes... sense. Kind of." She turned and stared at Marinette.

"Do you see this?" she asked, holding her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart. "This is how much brain I have left. Will you PLEASE help me save that much of it?"

Marinette pulled up a chair. "Okay, Alya, I'm here. What in the world happened to you?" she said, concerned yet wary.

"Not to me, Marinette. That's just it. Let's start with this." She held out her cell phone. Marinette looked at it and saw a picture of Ladybug and Adrien, cuddled up together, enjoying Andre's special banana split.

 _Well... I kinda knew this was inevitable._ She tried what she thought was her best surprised face. "Okay! Um, THAT's one that I didn't see coming..."

Alya's face screamed out _Do not insult my intelligence or I will bodyslam you, best friend or not._

"Yeah... you got me," Marinette admitted. "I know that Ladybug and Adrien are dating."

"HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? Wait! Back up. How long have you known?"

 _Let's see... we've been dating for..._ "About a week?"

"Okay," Alya panted, still catching her breath. "I _knew_ both you and Adrien were acting strangely lately. I really thought that you were finally hooking up with Adrien and hiding it from us for some reason..."

"Oh, like I could ever hook up with ADRIEN. Or keep it a secret if I did," Marinette whistled innocently.

"But there's something even bigger," Alya continued, with a stern look.

"There is? I, um..." stammered Marinette.

"Marinette. Please stop talking."

"...Okay?" _Something's really got her spooked._

"I came FLYING over here on my bike, because I didn't know for sure that this was for real, and I wanted you to hear it from a friend first. I was afraid you were going to collapse! So I came down your street... and I saw you snuggling a certain hero up on your balcony."

"Wait, what... OH! Oh, no! That was..."

"YOUR MYSTERY BOYFRIEND is CHAT NOIR?! Now I get why you couldn't tell me anything but HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME ANYTHING, MARINETTE?" Alya whimpered.

"WILL YOU KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN?" hissed Marinette. "Do you want my parents running up here?"

"Of course not!" Alya hissed back. "I've got your back! Or I'd like to but I have _no idea what is going on_. NONE. Can you help me help you?"

 _Not really. And I have no idea how to start. But I'm going to have to._

* * *

Blissfully unaware of all of this, Adrien paced around his bedroom, full of excitement. "Plagg, I can't believe that just happened!" He bounced from one side of the room to the other. "I wasn't sure how Dad would react to finding about Ladybug. AND he caught me red-handed sneaking out! To go from that to dinner for two at Chez Coûteux? I'm blown away!"

Plagg grinned. "Surprised me, too. I wasn't sure he liked anybody."

"I can't wait to ask her! I mean, I'm sure she'll say yes, but I hope she'll be as excited as I am."

"What's the big deal?" Plagg asked. "It sure looks to me like you don't need to impress her. She's crazy about you already."

Adrien smiled, "That's not what it's about, Plagg. I don't HAVE to spoil her rotten - but I WANT to. Neither one of us has ever been on a fancy dinner date, and I'd love to treat her to her first one. That, and I hope she'll be thrilled that my father already gives his full approval."

"Which is good," agreed Plagg. "So when are you gonna ask her?"

"I'm figuring that out now. I probably should do it in person, but I can't hold this in! I'm tempted to video chat her tonight if she's around..."'

* * *

"First off," Marinette began, "yes, that really was Chat Noir. He's a good friend of mine! Emphasis on _friend_. We met when that guy Evillustrator attacked - remember him chasing me all over town? - and afterwards we talked and we actually have a lot in common. He's a great guy, and he comes over to see me once in a while and hang out."

Alya gaped, mouth dangling open again.

"What? I can't have interesting friends?" Marinette teased. "He has someone else that he's seeing, so relax."

"Okay... and this never came up in conversation, HOW?"

"He's a superhero, Alya!" insisted Marinette. "I don't want to blow his secret identity, even by accident. And I don't know who he is under the costume, either. But he's a real sweetheart. He really does have a sensitive side under all the puns and bluster. We talk about all kinds of things."

"Fine. I can process that much," said Alya, "but you're STILL hiding something. Something huge."

"I am?" asked Marinette, feigning innocence.

"You told us that you ARE dating someone and I could tell you were being honest. All of a sudden, you can talk to Adrien without getting nervous. Right there, THAT'S not any Marinette I've ever known! Then Adrien is out eating Sweetheart ice cream with Ladybug. Ladybug pops up at our class window and you and Adrien disappear. I find you wrapped up in Chat Noir's arms on your balcony. You..."

"THAT WAS A FRIENDLY HUG!" hissed Marinette. Alya waved it off.

"You have been floating on _cloud nine_ for days, girl! Someone blew your mind and I am _dying_ to know who it is. And I need SOMEONE to explain how any of this fits together."

Marinette sighed. She snuck a peek at her purse, where Tikki was shaking her head and motioning _No, no, no!_ with her hands, frantically. _Okay... I am absolutely stuck,_ she thought. _Here goes nothing..._

* * *

"Alya," she said, "I... have a Ladybug costume. I've been dating Adrien dressed as Ladybug, but he has no idea that his Ladybug is actually me. I made up a fake secret identity to go with it and everything."

Alya stared back, blankly. "You..."

Marinette's computer beeped. "Incoming Skype request from..."

"GAH!" Marinette spun frantically and lunged for her mouse. Alya yelled, "Never mind that now! You... actually, wait. Who IS that Skyping you?" she asked, craning her neck to sneak a peek.

"NEVER MIND!" cried Marinette as she pounded on the "Reject" button and cleared the screen. "Nothing to see here! Move along!"

Alya continued to process what she'd just heard in her mind. Marinette slumped down in her desk chair. _That's 90% of the truth and the other 10% just can't ever come out. It can't. Not even for you, Alya. Tikki, please forgive me for saying even that much._

"Marinette _..._ " replied Alya. "...That has to be the _worst cover story_ I have _ever heard._ "

"Huh?

Alya smirked. "Come on. You really expect me to believe that?"

"One, I really think Adrien would notice if Ladybug got all nervous and stuttery around him all of a sudden, like you do. Two, what happens when the real Ladybug shows up? You'd get busted like Lila and Chloe did. Three, you... okay, you DO look a little like Ladybug now that I think about it, but are you telling me Adrien couldn't tell the difference? That he wouldn't know it was you behind a mask? He sees you every day in school! He's not the most observant, but _come on now._ Four, I just caught you in Chat Noir's arms! And five..."

"FRIENDLY HUG!" Marinette repeated, unconvincingly.

"And five..." concluded Alya, "if any of that is even remotely true... _let's see the costume._ "

A strange calm came over Marinette. _You want to see my costume? You_ ** _really_** _want to see my costume?_ she thought.

At her side, she could feel Tikki in her purse, actually head-butting the side of it trying to get her attention.

"Fine. I am going to say three words, and then things will make sense to you," said Marinette. _I tried. I really tried. I am all out of options. I am so sorry. This is going to change everything._

Marinette took a very deep breath...

* * *

"I'm dating Chat."

 _He is going to MURDER me for this. But I tried the almost-truth and she laughed at it. You want to ride this rollercoaster, Alya? Buckle up and hang on._

Alya pumped her fist in triumph. "I KNEW it! I KNEW something strange was going on! I mean, I didn't know THIS. Mari, how the heck did this happen?"

Marinette grinned, putting on a dreamy face. "What's so surprising? He's handsome, he's brave, he's actually really quite charming once he turns down the volume." She felt a strange giddiness inside, laughing to herself at how crazy this had become. "I wasn't kidding about him being a good friend of mine. But we... kind of... went on a double date."

"You WHAT?"

"I shouldn't say all this, but..." continued Marinette, with a grin. "Ladybug and Adrien had crushes on each other. I mean, you could see that just looking at them, right? So Chat asked me if I could talk Adrien into a double date with him and Ladybug as an excuse to get the two of them together... And it worked a little too well."

"And you and Chat..." Alya was gobstruck.

"Turns out he's a really good kisser," giggled Marinette. "But NOT ONE WORD OF ANY OF THIS LEAVES THIS ROOM! EVER! Swear!"

"I swear," Alya replied, dutifully. "But... WOW. This is..."

"I'm not sure if either of these will turn into something serious," Marinette warned. "That's another reason why I didn't want to brag about it! Chat and I are too good as friends to be more than that, honestly. He agrees with that. But that doesn't mean I have to be a good girl _all_ of the time." She winked at Alya.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Marinette?" Alya asked, awestruck.

Marinette's computer beeped again. "Incoming Skype request from..." She whirled around and cleared it again, then grabbed her phone and IM'ed Adrien "COMPANY! Hold on" as quickly as she could.

"What about you and Adrien?", asked Alya, looking concerned. _She's buying it!_ _I don't believe it_ , Marinette thought.

"He seems so happy with Ladybug," replied Marinette. "I am so happy that HE's happy. If they don't work out, Adrien and I have gotten closer because we've just shared a really crazy experience together. It's taken a lot of the pressure off me. And like I said, I have my own cute distraction right now..."

Alya leapt up and hugged Marinette. "This. Is. INSANE. But it's so great!," she burst out. "Let me know how I can help you."

Marinette's face went stern. "NOT A WORD! I mean it! To ANYONE! Not Juleka, not Rose, not Nino, ESPECIALLY not Nino! If any of this gets on the LadyBlog, I know where you live and you have to sleep sometime."

"I promise," Alya said, grinning from ear to ear. They hugged again and Marinette saw Alya out to where she'd parked her bike, her head spinning.

* * *

Marinette laid down in the middle of the room, flat on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. So did Tikki.

"Tikki?" ventured Marinette.

"Kwamis don't wear pants. But if we did, I'd have to change mine now," Tikki replied. "I'm very proud of you and maybe a little frightened. Where did all of that come from?"

"I had to say something!" Marinette exclaimed. "I hate misleading her, but I can't just tell her that I'm Ladybug. So I got as close as I could to the truth, she didn't buy it, and I took what she believed and ran with it. I did the best I could to make it something that Chat can back me up on once I talk to him. I can't BELIEVE she caught me hugging him goodbye and thought that..."

"Yeah! Who would EVER believe that you and Chat Noir could be a couple?" giggled Tikki. _If you only knew._ "So, you are going to tell Chat that you're his girlfriend now, right?"

"Uh-huh," blushed Marinette, "and I'm never going to hear the end of it from him. EVER. But I think he'll get a kick out of playing along."

"Especially the kissing parts."

"TIKKI! Look, let me talk to the boy that I _am_ kissing first. I'll figure out the rest later, okay? Spots..."

"WAIT!" Tikki cried. "You're in your room! Won't that be a dead giveaway?"

"Right," said Marinette, "but I can disguise that a bit." She went to her closet and pulled out a changing screen, then set it behind her chair and checked her camera on her computer to make sure that it blocked out everything in the background.

"Spots on!"

* * *

Adrien sat impatiently at his computer until "Incoming Skype request from..." popped up. He clicked "Accept," and saw Ladybug on his screen in front of a floral cardboard background.

"Hi, sweetie!" Ladybug said. "Sorry about that - I was with a friend of mine and couldn't transform."

"No problem, I totally understand," said Adrien. "I'm glad you found a way to be on camera! I missed those bluebell eyes."

"And those gorgeous green ones. What's up?" grinned Ladybug.

"Well, first, have you checked Twitter lately?"

"My friend told me about that..." Ladybug opened a new browser tab and checked. "Wow! We're, um, popular."

"We must make a cute couple," smiled Adrien. "Are you okay with that?"

"If you are," she replied. "We knew it was coming. Though I just had to put out a major secret identity fire with my BFF, so let's be careful with that."

"Oh, no! Was it something I said?"

"No, you're fine. I slipped but I covered for it," Ladybug reassured him.

"Someone else apparently checks Twitter and, uh, security cameras. My dad knows we're a couple now," Adrien continued. "Annnnnnnd..."

Ladybug caught her breath. "...And?"

"And he's thrilled! He thinks you're wonderful. I mean, how could he not? But he told me that he approves completely."

"YES!" Ladybug squealed. "I was actually really worried about that. I'd met him, and he seemed nice when I did, but... well, I know how much he means to you, and he's pretty protective of you."

"Not only that," said Adrien, "he gave us his blessing in the form of reservations, Saturday night, at Chez Coûteux. If you'd be interested..."

"WHAT?" Ladybug clapped her hands together in surprise. "Are you SERIOUS? That's one of the best restaurants in Paris! I thought people handed down reservations for there in their wills!"

"A table for two, just right for a romantic evening out. Dad is amazing sometimes. Would you like to go?"

"I... sure! I would love to. I may never get another chance to go there, and I'll get to see you all dolled up," beamed Ladybug. "Thank him so much for me!"

"Great! I'm so glad you like the idea. So..."

From downstairs, a female voice hollered "MARINETTE? Could you come down and help me with something for a minute?"

* * *

It was suddenly Christmas in Marinette's room, because Ladybug had turned a radiant green in her red costume.

"I, uh, um... Hold on a second!" stammered Ladybug, and Adrien abruptly saw her audio and video feeds pause.

Plagg flew up and gawked at the screen. "What... just happened?" he asked.

"I have... absolutely no idea," said Adrien, wide-eyed.

* * *

 _Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh!_ Ladybug clicked off her camera and microphone, yelled "I'll be right down, Mom!", and curled into a ball. _What am I going to DO_? she thought. _Every second he has time to think about it is killing my secret identity!_

 _I... um... oh... GOT IT._ She clicked back on and saw Adrien's stunned face. "Okay, I'm back. Sorry about that."

Adrien just stared.

"I guess I don't need the privacy screen any more," she giggled, "I'm over at Marinette's house. I brought my laptop with me. I didn't want to give that away, but I guess we just did."

"Oh. Ohhhhhhhhh..." Adrien's face relaxed. "For a moment there, I... You hang out with Marinette?"

"Just started to, recently. I'd met her before, then she helped me out with that note for you and we hit it off really well! She's so sweet. Listen, I do have to go... IM me later?"

"Sure thing. Good night!"

Ladybug logged off quickly. "Spots off!"

After transforming, Marinette yelled "On my way!", then clunked her head down on her desk, hard. Face down, she mumbled, "You're SURE I can't just tell him?"

"I'm sure," Tikki said.

"Unnnnnnnnngh," she moaned before heading downstairs.

* * *

The rest of the week flew by quickly for Adrien. Anticipation has a way of burning through other concerns sometimes. It's not that there weren't distractions, of course...

One distraction was school. As Adrien suspected, he was swarmed as soon as he stepped in the door. Ms. Bustier reminded the class that they were there to learn, not to gossip, which stemmed the tide slightly. He remained the perfect gentleman, saying only that Ladybug was utterly charming and that he hoped to enjoy her company again, which pleased Marinette immensely. So much so, in fact, that he got a text from Dottie at lunchtime:

"Blanket night tonight? I'll bring the cupcakes."

Needless to say, Adrien checked his social calendar immediately and found an opening.

Chloe, of course, was inconsolable and even snippier with everyone than usual. Adrien figured that Marinette would get ridiculous amounts of amusement out of that, and he was not wrong.

* * *

Another distraction was Marinette herself. Adrien caught up with her at lunch and asked to join her, which she accepted with a big smile. The rest of the girls' table moved away just far enough to give them not quite enough privacy.

"So it appears that we have a mutual friend," Adrien began.

"You could say that," she grinned. "Congratulations, by the way. She's crazy about you."

"I couldn't be happier." He noticed that Marinette blushed slightly at that, but didn't mention it. "I wanted to thank you for your part in that."

"Believe me, the pleasure was mine," she said, trying not to turn even redder.

"Have you known each other long?" Adrien asked. "I mean, we've all seen her around, of course, but when she said 'Oh, this is whose house I'm at tonight,' I must've made one heckuva surprised face."

That got a laugh. "No one was more surprised than her," she replied, giggling.

They exchanged small talk for the rest of lunch. At one point, Adrien paused and said "Marinette... can I ask you a weird question?"

Marinette sipped at her milk. "Shoot."

"Did I ever... well... say or do anything that made you uncomfortable? Other than the gum incident that first day, I mean."

She managed to avoid choking, barely. "No, of course not! You've been a great friend. Why would you think that?"

"There was... You've been a great friend of mine since we met, even if I did sic my attack umbrella on you that day. And I really like how much closer we've gotten, especially recently. I feel like I can talk to you about anything. But for a while..." His face darkened a little bit. "I don't know why, but I had an idea that you were uneasy around me, like I made you nervous, and I could never figure out what I was doing wrong."

Marinette's mind stopped on a dime. _That dear, sweet boy,_ she thought.

 _I thought I was being a public nuisance throwing myself at him for months, not able to string three sentences together around him because of my crush, and he thought it was something HE did!_ _Alya was right all along! He wasn't rejecting me over and over! He really **didn't** know._

"Marinette?" His face said _Oh no, I'm doing it again._

"Adrien," Marinette said with shining eyes, "let me tell you one thing, once and for all. And this isn't 'now that he's taken, I'll hit on him,' either. You may be the sweetest guy I've ever known, and I don't think you could offend me even if you TRIED. You can put that worry waaaay out of your mind."

There was a quiet group "Awwwww!" from behind her. She tried to ignore it.

"I'm glad. You really do mean a lot to me, Marinette. And this isn't 'now that I'm taken, I'm getting in good with her girlfriends,' either," Adrien replied, visibly relieved. "I don't know why I had that feeling, really..."

The collective Girl Hivemind behind her, listening in, broadcast _TELL HIM HOW YOU REALLY FEEL!_ into Marinette's brain at full volume. And for one fleeting moment, she was tempted to do it.

That would've thrown a wrench into everything they'd been building as Ladybug, of course, but part of her was still disappointed in herself. _I know he loves me as Ladybug and I _still_ can't confess to him as myself._

"I can be... really shy with people sometimes. It can be hard for me to open up and be myself. It takes the right kind of person to reach me," she said quietly. "I'm so glad that you're one of them."

His smile melted every ice cube in a two-block radius. Or maybe that was just her perception of it.

When the bell rang, as Adrien left, Marinette did have what seemed to her to be a very un-Marinette-like thought:

 _When I get you out in that clearing tonight, you'd better have taken your vitamins, and I might just pack some Gatorade._

* * *

There was one thing about the week that Adrien couldn't quite figure out, however. Every so often, he'd hear a strange exchange from the desk behind him...

"* _meow_ *"

"Stop it."

"* _mrow_ *"

"Hey."

"* _purrrrr_ *"

"* _SMACK_ * Knock it off."

* * *

As Saturday arrived, Marinette ran around her room in a mild state of panic. "Tikki, I just thought of something REALLY important! Chez Coûteux is the fanciest restaurant I'll ever go to. It's ritzy and formal and _I'm about to try to go there in a red-and-black bodystocking_. Hero or not, they'll have me shot at the front door. What on earth am I going to wear?"

Tikki floated over. "Actually... I think that I can help with that. But I'll need your help, too."

Marinette watched her flutter around, attentively. "Do you remember what I said about how there have been Ladybugs for 5,000 years? They certainly didn't all have the same dress code. The costume varied quite a bit from time to time and place to place."

"So..."

"So full transformations - like the one we did with Master Fu's potion - need help because you're adding new powers with those. But if I had a design to concentrate on, I could make temporary alterations to your costume to make it much dressier, and it'd still keep all of the same magic. And I just HAPPEN to know a certain aspiring designer who could give me an amazing design..."

The look of joy on Marinette's face was obvious. She leapt for her sketchpad and her pencils flew into motion.

* * *

That night, as the limousine rode down Avenue Gabriel towards Chez Coûteux, Adrien and his father sat together in the back. "You're sure that we couldn't have picked her up?" Gabriel asked.

Adrien shrugged. "A mysterious superheroine doesn't give out her home address lightly. Not even to her dinner date."

"All women are mysterious. If I pass down no other truths to you, remember that one," chuckled Gabriel.

They disembarked in front of the restaurant. Adrien was impeccably dressed in black tie; this was his first fancy date, but certainly not his first brush with formalwear thanks to his father's business dealings. "You'll call for your ride home when the time is right?" Gabriel asked.

"If I need one," replied Adrien. "Ladybug might get me there in her own unique way."

The two waited patiently for her to arrive.

* * *

As it happens, she was closer than they suspected.

"I cannot believe..." Marinette said, frantically making adjustments, "that I am on my first formal dinner date... and I am fixing my makeup and hair... on the ROOF!"

Tikki said, "You look lovely, Marinette. You will melt his heart, I promise."

"Thank you," she replied, "but this one lock of hair keeps flying away and RRRRGH! It will NOT STAY PUT!"

"Marinette... let's do this. Your sweetheart is waiting."

"Okay. Let's do this. Tikki... SPOTS ON!"

* * *

A slight whirring noise behind Adrien drew Gabriel's attention. "I believe she has arrived," he said lightly. Adrien turned and saw a sight that he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Very slowly, Ladybug's yo-yo carried her down to the sidewalk. The mask was the same... but everything else was different.

In place of her customary bodystocking, Adrien saw a red-and-black V-neck dress, starting at her shoulders with a light touch of ruffles along the neckline. Her arms were bare, its waist was fitted, its length was enough to flow gently while not impeding movement. A subtle pattern of small black spots replaced her customary large polka dots, her stockings were light red with an even subtler pattern, her heels were cherry red. Ladybug's hair was down and styled slightly, her smile was wide and her eyes were radiant.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Imagine the most gorgeous red-and-black gown design possible. Now imagine that in place of my clunky description above. You're welcome!]

"Impressive," Gabriel said, admiringly. "Your own design, Mademoiselle?"

"This old thing? I found it in the back of my closet," Ladybug quipped, but then smiled shyly and said, "Yes, Mr. Agreste. I wanted to look my best for the occasion. This was wonderfully generous of you to offer."

Adrien said nothing at first, as he was trying to reel in his jaw. "You are... absolutely breathtaking, Ladybug," he managed. "Wow."

"I can see that my son is in the very best of hands, so I will bid you good night," said Gabriel with a small bow. "Enjoy your evening."

"I'm sure we will. Again, thank you so much, Mr. Agreste," Ladybug said, taking Adrien's hand.

"Thank you, father," Adrien echoed, leading her into Chez Coûteux with wide eyes.

Gabriel returned to the limousine. "Home, sir?" asked the driver.

"Yes, quickly." The driver pulled out smoothly and headed for the Agreste mansion.

 _The stage is set_ , Gabriel thought. _The first players are in place. Now to put my script into motion._

* * *

"I am... I have never seen anything so beautiful, Ladybug," Adrien gasped as they moved through the lobby.

"You don't have mirrors in your room?" she teased.

"Is that a normal dress, or..."

"It's my costume, with a bit of a twist on how I usually get it. The magic, I guess you could call it, is still protective all over. And thank you, sweetie, you look incredible yourself!"

The maître d'hôtel smiled at them, prepared for the unusual guests. "Master Agreste, Mademoiselle, your table awaits." He led them to a candlelit table in the rear of the restaurant, impeccably and artfully decorated but also away from most prying eyes. It would not do for young celebrities to be bothered by rubberneckers, after all.

"Can you believe all this?" Ladybug asked. "I feel like I'm going to turn into a pumpkin at midnight."

"I know," agreed Adrien. "This is really not my usual style at all. But when Dad suggested it, I couldn't turn it down, and I wanted to spoil my lady rotten in grand style at least once."

"And she loves it," Ladybug smiled. "And her man, too." It was Adrien's turn to blush.

Their waiter arrived with bread and to take their beverage orders.

* * *

Gabriel raced from the limousine, heading straight for the platform leading to his darkened lair. "DARKWINGS... RISE!" he intoned once there, and the observation window opened to cast light on the sinister figure of Hawkmoth.

He scanned the kitchen of the restaurant for suitable candidates for an Akuma. "Perhaps something simple and straightforward at first. Hors d'oeuvres and appetizers come before the main course, after all..."

He was pleased to see that his suspicions were correct; the kitchen was a spawning pit of rancor. Workers snapped at each other, the sous chef howled profanely in his attempts to maintain order, the pot-and-pan washers were grumbling to each other. It was a symphony of negative emotions to work with. He settled first on one of the junior cooks, who had just had his ear chewed off by the _chef de partie_.

"Go, my little Akuma, and EVILIZE him!"

* * *

Ladybug and Adrien noshed on their starters, which included fig-and-cheese tarts on puff pastry.

"These are FANTASTIC, Adrien! Have you been here before?" asked Ladybug, sneaking her question in between bites.

"I wish," Adrien replied. "This place is way out of my league. I'm more of a fish-and-chips kind of guy at heart. Or cupcakes-on-a-blanket."

She grinned, slyly. "You did seem to approve of that."

From underneath the table, Adrien heard Plagg mutter "When does the cheese plate arrive?" very quietly. He shushed him with a quick gesture.

"I'm pretty sure tha-" Adrien began, freezing in mid-sentence and pointing. Ladybug followed his gesture and saw a purple butterfly slowly meandering through the dining room.

 _Hawkmoth, you son of a - NOT NOW!_

"Be very... quiet..." she motioned to those around her, reaching into her purse. "Keep calm... think... positive... thoughts..."

Her yo-yo in hand, she wound up and threw, snagging it cleanly. "GOTCHA!" she said, as quietly as she could, with a big grin.

As the white butterfly fluttered away to the tune of "Bye-bye, little butterfly," she received a small ovation from her fellow diners. Adrien was slightly slack-jawed as Ladybug sat down and said, "No one is spoiling THIS night for us. Count on that."

* * *

Hawkmoth grumbled, "Unbelievable! That one never even reached its target! Luckily, I have dozens more at my fingertips..."

He Akumatized another butterfly, selected another kitchen target and set it flying. "And THIS time, go in the BACK door!"

* * *

"Bouillabaisse! Very nice," said Adrien as the next course arrived.

"Not my usual taste, but I'll give it a shot," mused Ladybug. "I'm not a big seafood girl but I'll try most things once. I can't imagine that they prepare anything badly here."

They sampled it, blissfully unaware of the second butterfly invading the kitchen. A burly fellow, busy chopping vegetables, stiffened as the utensil rack in front of him turned purple.

"Good evening! I am Hawkmoth. I will be your new _chef de cuisine_ for this evening. I am sure that a preparer of your obvious talent should be far higher in the kitchen hierarchy! Bring me the Miraculouses of Ladybug and Chat Noir, and you will climb the ladder to, oh, I don't know, saucier at least. Do not harm the blonde boy accompanying Ladybug; rather, use him as a tool to secure her compliance. Bon appetit!"

"Oui," answered the preparer, as the energy engulfed him.

* * *

The main course was on its way. Unfortunately, so was trouble.

A loud crash from the kitchen area signaled that something had gone wrong. A white-coated figure bursting forth carrying a huge, bizarrely-shaped kitchen tool confirmed it.

"Ha-ha! Ladybug! You may call me... the _Prep Crook_! There are no unitaskers in my kitchen; I have one utensil that does everything!" He held it aloft, which looked like a nightmarish Swiss Army knife with about five other painful-looking kitchen utensils welded onto it. "Would you prefer to be julienned, peeled or grated first? Or should I start on the young man you're with..."

Ladybug facepalmed. "ANOTHER one? You have GOT to be kidding me. At least where your Akuma is hiding should be obvious..." She assumed a fighting stance, yo-yo spinning. "Adrien, get down and behind me and stay back!"

"NON, NON, NON, NON, NON!" cried the maître d'hôtel, running in from the lobby. "ZIS WILL NOT DO!" He got between Ladybug and the Prep Crook with his hands outstretched, and turned to face the villain. "I cannot battle you myself, Monsieur Villain. Luckily, we have an honored guest tonight who appears quite capable. But if you have ze SLIGHTEST comprehension of what it MEANS to be FRENCH, you must agree, ZIS FIGHT will NOT HAPPEN in ZE DINING ROOM! OUTSIDE WITH YOU!"

Ladybug shrugged, then pointed to the front door. "Shall we?"

Hawkmoth, from afar, also shrugged. "The man has a fair point." The villain and Ladybug marched warily to the front door, sizing each other up, the maître d'hôtel standing carefully in between.

* * *

Back inside, Adrien looked down at Plagg. "She's going to need backup. Are you ready?"

"Not sure," Plagg said. "Are there any more of those tarts left?"

Adrien dragged Plagg to the bathroom, the Kwami grumbling all the way. "CLAWS OUT!"

* * *

Out on the Avenue, Ladybug leapt past the Prep Crook's flashing blades and implements. "Careful where you point that thing!", she yelled. "I just had this dress specially made!"

"It is nice," barked the Prep Crook, swinging a razor-sharp spatula low. "I'll just take a bit off the bottom of it for you..."

An extended baton deflected it away from her. "She has great legs, but if you want to see more of them, ask nicely."

"CHAT! What are you doing here? Not that I'm complaining," grunted Ladybug as she ducked behind a car.

"Oh, I was in the neighborhood, and this guy was pretty hard to miss," Chat said. "Though I'm glad he keeps missing you, those blades are nasty. LOOK OUT! That was too close!"

"In case you didn't notice," Ladybug panted, "this is the first time I've ever fought a villain in _heels_. I need to finish this quickly. LUCKY CHARM!" The energy from the yo-yo coalesced into...

"A giant cork?"

"I think I get it," Chat said. "The Akuma's probably in his wonder tool, right?"

"More than likely. Let's see if we can catch it."

The two danced and dodged around the villain's attacks, trying to get in close. He was pretty one-dimensional for someone with a hundred and one attachments, so it only took a few minutes for Ladybug to leap over a blade thrust and Chat to catch it in the cork.

"Give me that!" grumbled the Prep Crook, yanking at the muzzled utensil.

"Sorry, your reservation's been canceled," Ladybug quipped as she wrapped her yo-yo around his arms and pulled them tight. "Over to you, Chat!"

Chat smacked the wonder tool with his baton hard, knocking it out of the villain's hands, then whacked at it repeatedly until something broke. The Akuma floated out and Ladybug grabbed and purified it.

Ladybug's earrings beeped repeatedly. "Chat, I'm about to transform back! Any second now! I need to check on someone inside, thanks for coming!" She ran through the front door, into a crowd of patrons.

Chat winced. "Not good. She'll get inside and find that Adrien's gone! I need to hurry." He bounced over the roof to reenter the building from the back. As quickly as he could, he found a dark corner, said CLAWS IN!, and retook his seat at the table. He waited... and wondered what was holding Ladybug up.

* * *

 _No no no!_ Ladybug was in a panic. The crowd in the lobby got in her way several times as she tried to push her way back into the dining room. On the last beep of her earrings, she just barely managed to dart into the women's restroom before changing back to Marinette.

"Tikki! I'm stuck! What can I do?" she whispered.

"I'm not sure, Marinette," Tikki said. "I need something to eat before you can transform again. But the food is at the table, and so is Adrien!"

"And I don't have my purse, with my emergency macaron stash in it!" Marinette thought quickly. "I can't just grab something off someone else's plate. One, bleah! And two, I don't want to have to explain to Adrien how I got kicked out of Chez Coûteux for stealing someone's dinner."

"What are you going to do?" worried Tikki.

"Well... this is about to be a valuable learning experience," Marinette said. "I know that Adrien is handsome, sweet, and a great kisser. Let's go find out if he's gullible, too."

* * *

Adrien scanned the restaurant intently, watching for Ladybug. The look of surprise on his face when Marinette came running over at high speed was memorable.

"ADRIEN! Are you all right?" she panted.

"Yes! Are you... wait! What ARE you doing here, Marinette?" Adrien said, thoroughly puzzled.

"I was nearby playing backup for Ladybug - you know, if she discovered she needed something she could call me, and I could run and get it for her? We wanted to make sure this date went perfectly. It's a girl thing," she grinned. "Then Mr. Scissorhands came busting out the door and I ran for cover. Ladybug thinks there might be another Akuma, so she sent me in to check on you and make sure you were all right."

Her smile disarmed most of Adrien's doubts. "Okay... wow, I'm glad you're safe. That villain looked nasty."

"Tell me about it! I don't know how Ladybug does it. This time in taffeta, even!"

Adrien got a serious look on his face. "We're both safe, so let's keep it this way. You stay here, and hide under the table if anything comes through. This is a WEIRD night for supervillains. I need to, um, I'm going to let Ladybug I'm all right, okay?" _I want to stay here and protect her, but I can't be me and Chat Noir at the same time! I hope she doesn't take offense to that._

He took off running to the back. Marinette thought about yelling at him to stop, but held back. _I want him to stay here so I can protect him, but then how would I explain Ladybug not showing up?_ She sighed. "You okay down there, Tikki?"

She peeked under the tablecloth, where Tikki was chowing down on part of Ladybug's dinner. "Almost there," Tikki mumbled with her mouth full.

* * *

Adrien hit the bathroom door running, made sure it was empty, then asked, "Plagg, are you still halfway charged?"

"Yeah. I filled up on a few bites when nobody was looking. Go for it."

"CLAWS OUT!"

A black leather whirlwind left the bathroom, darted through the kitchen, over a serving cart, past four or five surprised workers and out the back door. He sprang to the roof, dashed to the front of the building and leaped down to find...

"Um... Did anyone see where Ladybug went?"

* * *

Hawkmoth winced. "I can only send one Akuma at a time, and creating several in a row is exhausting. Three in one night is quite a strain, but I cannot lose this opportunity! I've come too far now and I have just the target in mind."

He concentrated, Akumatized yet another butterfly, and sent it on its way.

* * *

At the front of the restaurant, the maitre'd was beside himself. _Zis was an outrage! Zis was unprecedented! How dare a supervillain attack ze finest restaurant in Paris! On a BUSY night!_

Chat Noir wasn't much happier. He wasn't going to be much help to Ladybug if he couldn't find her. He darted from building to building and alleyway to alleyway nearby, searching frantically for her or any signs of another Akuma.

Inside, Tikki tugged on Marinette's blouse. "Okay, I'm ready."

Marinette ran to the women's restroom, transformed back to Ladybug, and dashed out through the kitchen. _I have to find Adrien!_ she thought. _Nothing can have happened to him._ She burst out the back door, found no sign of Adrien, and doubled back towards the main dining room to see if he was hiding there.

The butterfly didn't care. It simply rode the evening breeze and zeroed in on its recipient.

As Chat approached the front door of Chez Coûteux, Ladybug came running out of it. They compared notes quickly.

"Did you see another Akuma?"

"No! Did you see Adrien?"

"No! I mean, yes! I sent him back inside!"

"Where inside - OH, CRAP!"

They saw the Akuma high above their heads as it dove for the door. Ladybug whirled and fired her yo-yo, but not before it possessed the bowtie of the angered maître d'hôtel.

* * *

"Good evening! I am Hawkmoth. Your establishment of high cuisine has become a playground for supervillains... and superheroes. Don't you just want to keep them all out and preserve order for this evening's other guests? Bring me their Miraculouses and you will reign over the Paris restaurant scene... forever."

"Oui, Hawkmoth!" he declared, as the energy engulfed him and he began to grow.

"HAWKMOTH, YOU..." Ladybug began her angry rant. Chat blanched. He hadn't known that Ladybug even KNEW some of the words that she was yelling.

* * *

Once Ladybug recovered, she and Chat examined the transformed maître d'hôtel. "All right, this is getting ridiculous. And you are?" asked Ladybug.

The muscular figure cackled, "I was the maître d'hôtel. Now, I am the MAITRE D'MISE! And I will wipe your reservations off the list... of the living."

Chat grinned, "Hey, I didn't even have a reservation. I just dropped by for the atmosphere."

He yelled "Watch out!" as the Maître D'mise hurled his reservation book at them, spinning rapidly. It went over their heads and sliced through a pole behind them, doubling back for another pass and then back to the villain's hand.

"Lovely," grumbled Ladybug. "It's like the Collector's book! But I don't want to know what happens if THIS one touches us. You saw the butterfly, right?"

Chat nodded. "But I have to get close enough to reach that bowtie. That won't be easy."

"Leave that distraction to me. LUCKY CHARM!" The energy coalesced once more into...

"An iPad? I have... absolutely no idea..."

"LET'S HAVE NO IDEA OVER HERE!" yelled Chat, diving at Ladybug and yanking her out of the way of the flying book of doom.

"I will protect ze reputation of zis restaurant," the Maître D'mise snarled. "Even if zat means disappointing such a lovely celebrity guest. Give me your Miraculous now, or I will find your dinner date and turn him into tomorrow's main course!"

"Reputation?" The wheels started turning in Ladybug's head. She squinted and concentrated with LuckyVision; the whole restaurant lit up, then an unknown-to-her male guest cowering inside. She yelled to Chat, "Cover me. I have an idea," then dove into the restaurant.

"Hurry!" Chat yelled. "I'm really working up an appetite, and I don't think I can afford this place."

* * *

Ladybug dashed over to the man in the back dining room, who cowered a little at her approach. "Whoa! What's going on?"

"Sir... I'm not sure why you in particular, but I'm sensing that I need your help to distract this villain. Can you tell me a little about yourself?"

She listened to his explanation, then grinned a nasty grin. "Perfect! I promise that I will protect you at all costs. You don't have to get too close, just close enough so that he can see and hear you. Hold this, and follow my lead..."

* * *

"WHOUF!" Chat grunted, as the flying book drove him into a parked car. "Any time you're ready, Ladybug!" he shouted.

"It's not me that Mr. Maître D'mise has to worry about," she called out. Spinning her yo-yo as a shield in front of him, she said "There is one person that any restaurant manager fears... an unhappy food critic. Meet Richard Blake, restaurant critic for the _Times_..."

The man said "Um... To begin, I did enjoy the opening course of -" and stopped as Ladybug muttered "Work with me..."

"Ah! Yes! I must say that Chez Coûteux did not live up to its hefty reputation tonight," typing away on the iPad. "I am uploading a review as I speak. Inferior service..."

"Non!" cried the villain.

"Inexplicable delays between courses..."

"NON! No restaurant could predict multiple supervillain attacks! You must-"

" _Poor ambience_. TWO STARS out of five."

"NON! I weel not stand for zis slander!" He hurled the reservation book in their direction, causing Ladybug to yell "NOW!" and brace for impact.

"CATACLYSM!" cried Chat, activating his destructive power. He leapt at the distracted villain and snagged the bowtie with his powered-up hand, dissolving it. One yo-yo flight and butterfly purification later, the Maître D'mise returned to his original form, though his mood did not seem to change much by doing so.

Once again, Chat and Ladybug compared notes.

"Have you seen Adrien?"

"Yeah, I sent him back in to stay safe," Chat replied. "Did you send MARINETTE in?"

"Uh-huh. Hopefully, they're together."

Chat heard his ring beep. "Great. Listen, I'll go check on both of them. Make sure we're done here, bugaboo!" He leapt up and over the building to reenter through the kitchen. _That way I can find a private spot to transform back to Adrien. Please let Marinette be safe..._

Ladybug relaxed for just a moment, before realizing what was about to happen. _He's looking for Marinette, and won't find her if I'm out here! Plus I used Lucky Charm, so I'm about to transform anyway! AND I need to find Adrien!_

Nearby, she heard the maître d'hôtel and food critic debating "extenuating circumstances" and "return visits." She ran through the lobby, ducked into the women's restroom, called "Spots off!", and made a beeline for Ladybug and Adrien's table. She darted into her seat just as Adrien did the same across the table from her.

"This is getting to be a habit, Marinette," Adrien smiled. "Not that I mind the company."

* * *

"You're okay?" Marinette asked.

"Yeah. You too?"

"Uh-huh. This is the most bizarre night ever."

"Well, while you're here..." Adrien gestured at the table, which had somehow acquired the main and salad courses during the fight. "Care to join me for some dinner while we wait for Ladybug?"

"Don't mind if I do." She nibbled at some mixed greens with vinaigrette. "I'm sure Ladybug will be back... soon."

Under the table, Tikki and Plagg were stuffing their respective faces as fast as they could with what Marinette and Adrien kept slipping under the tablecloth.

"Still waiting on that cheese plate," Plagg mumbled. "Shhhh!" scolded Tikki.

* * *

Back in his lair, Hawkmoth was nearly completely drained. "Three! Three failures. But I... am... not... DONE! I am NOT paying what it costs for dinner at Chez Coûteux without SOMETHING good coming from it." He scanned the restaurant one more time, desperately, and hit upon a final target.

He laughed uproariously. This would be his masterstroke for the evening - the last thing they would expect. Concentrating, he Akumatized one last butterfly with the rest of his energy and sent it aloft.

* * *

Marinette and Adrien worked their way through their salads, trying to keep from screaming at the insanity surrounding them. Adrien kept glancing at the door, wondering where Ladybug was, but was just as focused on his unexpected tablemate.

"I have to say that this was incredible of you tonight, Marinette." Adrien's eyes were full of wonder. "I mean, playing backup for Ladybug is one thing, but TWO villain attacks and you're still here by my side. Are you sure that you want to be here?"

"We have two heroes taking care of business. I still feel pretty safe. And I was... well... really worried about you once all this started," she said, eyes lowering shyly.

Plagg tugged at Adrien's pantleg, letting him know he was full. "I need to check one more time on Ladybug. Stay here, okay? I promise that I'll be back or send someone to make sure for me." Adrien touched her hand with his. "I promise."

As he ran off, Marinette shook her head. _He is one of a kind. Sweet beyond belief._ "Almost there, Tikki?" she asked.

"I'm eating... as fast... as I can! I have a tiny stomach, Marinette!" Tikki whimpered.

* * *

The fourth butterfly entered Chez Coûteux from the front, zeroing in on a most unusual target.

Near the front of the restaurant, a huge lobster tank resided, from which patrons could select the lobster of their choice for consumption. One might think that, after all of this hubbub, most customers would have fled; but this was Chez Coûteux! One did not let a little thing like life-and-death interfere with a fine night's dining here!

A lobster, selected by a customer and being retrieved by staff, clung for dear life to the edge of the tank with its one partially-free claw. As if consumed by terror, as if begging _Pleeeeease don't eat me... a_ s if consumed by negative emotions.

The butterfly struck the tank, and the crustaceans stood at attention with a tiny energy signature over their eyes.

* * *

Hawkmoth was nearly gone. This had drained him to the point of passing out. Nevertheless, he barked out one final order to his newest minions:

"Lobstrocities... EAT... or be EATEN!"

* * *

"CLAWS OUT!"

Chat Noir caught his breath. Fine dining wasn't just delicious, it was EXHAUSTING.

A huge crash from the front lobby caught his attention. ANOTHER one? _Oh, no, Marinette's still in there!_ Chat dashed back to their table as quickly as he could, saw Marinette was safe, and assumed a defensive stance to protect her. Seeing no immediate threat, he couldn't resist, and sat down with a grin.

"Do you... come here often, Princess?" he flirted, batting his eyes.

Marinette laughed. "First time, kitty. Probably my last, too. And that's if we get out of here in one piece."

"We've got this," assured Chat. "This is the most Hawkmoth's ever put us through in one day, so I'm guessing Ladybug is... recharging... but she'll be back soon. I'll stay here as long as I can."

She felt a gentle tug on her pantleg. Looking down, Tikki motioned that she was ready, but mouthed "Last... time... tonight" at her.

 _Okay, THAT's not good,_ Marinette thought. _I feel bad for poor Tikki, but now i_ _f I use Lucky Charm, I'll be stuck as Marinette for the rest of the night!_

A loud crash from the lobby got their attention. "Or... you could take out the threat before it gets here," reasoned Marinette, preparing to run for it. "I'll be fine, I'm getting really good at hiding from these things. But, Chat?"

"Yeah?"

Marinette gave him a soulful look. "If you see him... please keep Adrien safe for me." She blew Chat a kiss, smiled, and took off for the rear of the restaurant, away from the increasing chaos up front.

Inside the costume, Adrien melted. _How am I not completely in love with this girl?_ floated through his head.

* * *

In the bathroom, Tikki apologized to Marinette, "I am so sorry... I have one more transformation in me and then I'll pass out if I do it again..."

"Tikki, it's fine," Marinette reassured her. "I'm asking way too much of you tonight. Or, actually, Hawkmoth is. I'm going to avoid Lucky Charm in this fight so I don't wear you out more."

"Do it if you have to..." mumbled Tikki. "Don't worry about me. It's okay..."

"Tikki, SPOTS ON!"

* * *

Chat stood his ground, waiting to see what horrors were going to emerge from the front of the restaurant. He heard Ladybug run up beside him, still looking fantastic in her dress despite all the craziness.

"Are you ready for one more round, my lady?" he asked.

Ladybug kicked off her heels and sat them by her chair. "Chat..." she said, gritting her teeth, "Let's. DO. THIS."

The two advanced together, stopping short when they saw one glowing lobster after another clambering out of the water tank, growing to several times their normal size as they hit the carpet. "I SAID I WASN'T A BIG SEAFOOD GIRL, IF ANYONE WAS LISTENING!" yelled Ladybug.

"I guess they weren't. This is some VERY big seafood," noted Chat, moving slowly backwards. "Too big. What are we looking for?"

"Somewhere not full of huge snapping claws," Ladybug panted, dodging a couple of attacks. "They don't really have a lot of possibilities for Akumas... There!" She pointed at one of the lead lobsters, which still had a band holding its right front claw closed. "That's the only thing any of them are wearing."

"Cataclysm it?" yelled Chat.

"No, save it! We don't know that that's the Akuma for sure," Ladybug replied. "Ready?"

Ladybug flipped over the banded lobster, roping its banded claw with her yo-yo and yanking it forward. Chat extended his baton, swiped at it and dislodged it, flinging it behind them. "Now break it!" he yelled.

"It's made of rubber! I can't just smash it... Let me try this." She grabbed a steak knife from a nearby table and started sawing away at the rubber band, frantically.

"HURRY!" Chat yelled, fending off claw strikes. "These things are almost on me!"

"Almost there... almost... GOT IT!" Ladybug cut through the band and held it aloft in triumph, waiting for the Akuma to emerge.

And waiting...

"GAH!" Chat slipped and fell on his back. Ladybug grabbed him with her yo-yo and yanked him back several feet, just before two lobsters would have taken his leg off. "That's not it? Okay... What's Lucky Charm got for us?" asked Chat.

"I... can't use it again right now!" Ladybug looked crestfallen. "We have to figure this out without it!"

"You can't? ...Fine! We can do this. Think with me! There are, like twenty of them, right?" hollered Chat.

"Yeah... so it might not be an item on just one of them. What do they have in common?"

The heroes looked at each other, reaching the same realization. "THE FISHTANK!"

Vaulting over the lobsters in front, the pair made a beeline for the tank. Quickly, they found themselves surrounded. Chat readied his baton, but yelled "There are too many in front of it! I can't get a clear shot!"

A yo-yo strike knocked one out of the way. "Jump, Chat!" Ladybug yelled, moving forward towards the other lobsters guarding the tank.

"WATCH OUT!" Chat watched Ladybug entangle two more lobsters and yank them downwards, only for another to grab her leg from behind. Two more moved in for the kill!

"NEVER MIND ME!" screamed Ladybug. "DO IT!"

As hard as he could, Chat Noir hurled his baton at the center of the glass front of the gigantic tank. It flew through an extended lobster claw, hit the glass squarely... and the glass shattered! Water poured over everything nearby as the tank collapsed, including the heroes, and the Akuma fluttered out of the wreckage.

From her stomach, Ladybug struggled for her yo-yo. She retrieved it and hurled it desperately... snagging it cleanly.

"Gotcha!"

* * *

Ladybug stumbled to her feet, looking around in all directions. "Anyone ELSE?" she snarled.

She couldn't hear him, of course, but from afar Hawkmoth waved the white flag. "Not tonight," he panted. "I'm out."

Chat caught his breath. "I... need to go check... on Adrien," he said. "Are you alright here?"

"Yeah," Ladybug replied. "That iPad and huge cork are still here somewhere. TWO Lucky Charms should be more than enough for Miraculous Ladybug to clean things up when we're ready."

She watched as Chat scurried off towards the rear of the restaurant, collected the Charms, then padded slowly over to her table. She saw Adrien emerge from the back and take his own seat.

They looked at each other. Ladybug was drenched from the tank water, could barely move, her hair was everywhere, and she had a noodle from someone's dish dangling from a dress ruffle. Adrien was equally disheveled, his hair also soaking wet, a splash of wayward Béarnaise sauce from somewhere across his jacket.

Ladybug and Adrien stared for two seconds, three seconds, four seconds, and then both burst into laughter. Uncontrollable, shaking, convulsive laughter that neither could stop. Ladybug laughed so hard that she doubled over onto the table, resting her head on her forearm. Adrien pounded the table with a fist, giggling his head off.

After a minute or so of this, they heard a voice next to them say "Ahem," quietly. Each looked up to see their waiter, carrying on the finest tradition of high cuisine and fulfilling his sacred duty.

"Dessert, Monsieur, Mademoiselle?"

Adrien and Ladybug cracked up again. All Adrien could do was raise one hand, wave him off politely and gasp, "Check, please."

* * *

Next time:

* How does one respond to a night of this much insanity? The question is a lot more than rhetorical.


	6. Sticking The Dismount

Chapter 6: Sticking the Dismount

* * *

"MIRACULOUS... LADYBUG!"

The cork Charm flew overhead and dissolved into a cloud of magical ladybugs, which did its customary repair work on Chez Coûteux and its vicinity and greatly improved the mood of the maître d'hôtel. The restaurant resembled a fine restaurant once again, rather than an afterparty held in an aquarium that went horribly wrong.

Ladybug and Adrien swung across the city, headed for the Agreste mansion. "What about the other Lucky Charm you had?" Adrien asked.

"I'm hanging onto that for now, actually," said Ladybug. "I only needed one for the cleanup, I'm not sure that my... power source had enough left in the tank to do it twice, and besides, hey! Free iPad."

"That'll be great for your Christmas shopping," laughed Adrien, "as long as everyone likes all their presents in red."

They landed at the front gate as usual, this time fully aware that stepping off to the side would be needed for any kind of privacy. They didn't have enough energy left to raise many eyebrows that night, anyway.

"Are you all right with how everything turned out?" Adrien asked. "This was... not exactly how I planned on romancing you."

"Yeah," Ladybug grinned. "But sweet intentions always count for a lot in my book. Are YOU going to be okay?"

"A shower and a good night's rest should help a lot. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure," she replied. "Shower and sleep tonight, oh yes. But after that I'll wait and see when I wake up tomorrow, or if I wake up surrounded by lobster attack squads."

"What was WITH Hawkmoth tonight?" Adrien shook his head. "Four Akumas in one night has to be a new record."

"I have no idea. And Hawkmoth knows exactly what he can do with those Akumas, too," Ladybug grumbled. "But thank your father again for me - that was such an amazing gesture for him to set all this up. And thank YOU, sweetheart. You two both tried so hard, I feel so bad for you."

"We both know how much you're worth it," smiled Adrien. "Call you tomorrow?"

"Please do. We probably ought to talk about a few things then. Sweet dreams." She kissed him, slowly and lovingly, then headed for home.

* * *

Inside, Gabriel stood by the security monitor, watching and listening to the conversation. He had recovered enough from his barrage of Akumas to detransform, return to the main house and try to gain any intelligence regarding Ladybug he could from their chatter.

The humiliation of repeated defeat still stung him. The headache he would have in the morning, no one would envy. Yet, hearing her gratitude and seeing her obvious care for his son, he thought to himself, _I must still defeat her and seize her Miraculous for my plans to succeed... but despite myself, I actually like this girl. One of life's little ironies._

* * *

Ladybug arrived home, transformed back to Marinette and made an immediate beeline for the shower. Getting herself de-lobster-watered and de-noodled was an absolute priority. Once done, she threw on her pajamas, brushed her hair and got ready for bed.

"Are you all right, Tikki? That was quite a workout," asked Marinette.

"Yes, I'm fine. I don't think I can eat again until around Tuesday, though. Wow, I'm stuffed... Oh! Your phone was buzzing," answered Tikki.

"This time of night? Strange." She picked it up and saw a message from Adrien; "Checking on you. Let me know when you're home safe."

"Awwww," she sighed. "That was sweet of him. That's weird, though; he used his real account instead of the talking-to-Dottie one he uses." She took a closer look and nearly dropped the phone.

"Tikki! That message wasn't for Dottie... it was for ME!"

* * *

Marinette made sure that she was responding from her own account, then sent "I am home, thank you for thinking of me!"

She turned out the light and plopped down onto her bed, but was startled when another message arrived quickly. "Can I call you?"

 _Um..._ A little bit of the old Marinette returned, as Tikki watched her go all fluttery. "Adrien wants to call ME? Now?" She hopped up, turned on the light, rushed to the mirror, checked her hair, brushed it out again quickly, moaned about her lack of makeup, then killed the lights again and messaged "Sure." A moment later, her phone rang, and Adrien's face and pajama top filled her phone screen.

"Hi!" she said, very quietly. "I can't talk very loud or my parents might hear. How are you?"

"Pretty good. My head is still spinning. So you made it home all right?"

"Yeah. My dad picked me up," she fibbed. "Once Ladybug hit her magic reset button, the roads were clear and it was smooth sailing."

"I'm glad. As crazy as that restaurant was tonight, I was really worried about you. That was really dangerous and I'm sorry you got caught in it."

"Hey, it wasn't your fault," Marinette whispered. "Seems like that's life in Paris these days. Every time you turn around, bam! Another Akuma villain."

"Well, I'm still sorry. And I called to say that I'm so grateful for how you looked out for me tonight. It really meant a lot to me."

"Aw, anyone would've..."

"No, they wouldn't have. And that's why I couldn't sleep without telling you this tonight. An awful lot of people would've gotten the heck out of there the first chance they got, but you didn't. You stayed right there with me even when you were in danger, too. And Chat Noir, uh, told me how you asked him to make especially sure I was safe, too. That... really touched me."

"Adrien, um..." Marinette fumbled a little for words. "People like you don't come along every day, you know. I have to make sure I take good care of them when I find them."

Adrien smiled, looking away slightly, and his face turned noticeably redder, catching Marinette by surprise. "You are really special, Marinette," he said, softly. "I just wanted to make sure you knew that tonight."

It was her turn to blush, and she did it quite well, having had lots of practice.

"I'll let you get some sleep. Thank you again... and sweet dreams, Marinette." Adrien hesitated for a second, then blew her a small kiss like the one she'd blown to Chat at the restaurant, and disconnected.

Marinette laid back in her bed, staring up at her ceiling, wide-eyed. "Tikki?"

"Yes?"

"What... What just happened?"

* * *

Sunday morning brought another buzzing noise to Marinette's phone. This time, it was Alya.

"Hey," Marinette sald, sleepily.

"Hi! WHAT HAPPENED? Are you all right? How did you end up at Chez Coûteux last night?" bubbled Alya.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down, I'm just waking up. Yes, I'm fine," mumbled Marinette.

"People sent me a bunch of cell phone pictures for the LadyBlog of what happened at the restaurant. That looked INSANE! Three villains! Almost four! And then I went through them and saw YOU there in a couple of them!"

"I, uh, was there, yeah." _This generation and their cell phones. No privacy in public places at all,_ she grumbled internally. "Ladybug asked me to be her backup there for her date - like, if she needed something I could run and get it. Then things went nuts and I was just running for cover and checking on Adrien for her."

"So it wasn't a double date, then?" Alya smiled, knowingly.

"Oh, come on. Who's going to take ME to a place like that?"

"One of the pictures is you at a table with Chat Noir."

"Pfft," Marinette laughed. "Chat sat down with me for, like, thirty seconds in between villains. I was happy to see him but we didn't arrive together. I told you, we agreed we're better as friends!"

"You told me that," Alya agreed. "But you told me, like, three other stories before you gave up that you double-dated with Chat, AND the other half of that double date was there too... Nothing you want to tell your best friend about?"

"Not this time. It was NOT a double date. I promise. Let's get together later and I'll give you the rundown on what happened at the restaurant."

"You'd better!", Alya grinned.

* * *

Plagg floated around Adrien's room, watching carefully. He wasn't the most empathetic Kwami around but he could certainly see that Adrien was troubled. "Are you okay? he asked.

"I'm figuring that out," Adrien muttered. _I have the one thing I've ever wanted - the one person I've ever wanted - and now I have to figure out how to stay there._

He was still completely head-over-heels for Ladybug; he knew that for sure. It wasn't just about the bravery, the passion, the spirit he'd seen that hooked him from the start; when she opened up to him and showed him her vulnerable side, her sensitivity, her doubts and questions and dreams, it only multiplied his feelings. His surface crush turned into deeper emotions. When she was by his side, he was all the way awake and alive in ways he'd never felt before.

But... that was just it, wasn't it? When she could be by his side. Opening up these new communication lines helped, sure. But they were still stealing minutes and hours with each other and trying to stay one step ahead of a whole lot of madness. Just look at the chaos at Chez Coûteux! All that scrambling keeping Ladybug AND Marinette from figuring out his secret life as Chat Noir. It still felt like deception no matter what both Plagg and Marinette had said, and not only was he not comfortable deceiving good friends, it was exhausting. He could only imagine what it was like for Ladybug, too, and for whoever was under her mask.

Just one night out in public, and Ladybug's identities were both stressing. She'd said she could manage it, but it was stress that was in part because of him. One big date night, and villains came out of the woodwork to threaten him, threaten Ladybug, and even threaten Marinette, who REALLY didn't deserve any of that. Was there really any way that they could make this work long-term?

Did he even have to think long-term yet? Couldn't they just enjoy the thrill of this ride as long as they could? Ladybug seemed genuinely happy to be with him. Her kisses were electric, her smile melted him at twenty paces, he could hear it in her voice every time they talked. Being together with him gave her something she seemed to genuinely need. He was just as crazy about her, and needed her just as much. That was more than enough, right?

Wasn't it?

How could it not be?

And then there was that... other thing weighing on his mind. A little something about five feet tall, with dark pigtails and an infectious giggle, whose inherent sweetness and genuineness and heart were sneaking into his thoughts more every day without her even trying.

Should that have surprised him? Through visiting her as Chat Noir, he'd seen a different and relaxed side of Marinette for months now. That Marinette was probably his favorite person in the world to spend time with, or at least who didn't wear spots and a mask. She'd been so sweet and a great friend to Adrien as well, even if he... STILL couldn't quite figure out why it seemed like he made her nervous. But whatever got her to open up to him and relax around him as Adrien... this new Marinette was melting his heart a little at a time.

There! He'd said it, in his head at least. He was utterly enchanted by this open, flirty, confident Marinette and right now he shouldn't be.

He wanted to be a loyal and faithful boyfriend. That's what boyfriends were supposed to be, full stop. He let his mind drift and bluebell eyes filled his thoughts, and it really bothered him that for the first time, he wasn't completely sure whose they were.

* * *

After lunch, Marinette huddled up with Tikki, comparing notes on the dizzying past twenty-four hours. "That was an amazing dinner, but I'm thinking next time we just get a burger and fries..." Marinette laughed.

"At least until an Akuma hits the fry cook," said Tikki.

"Something about last night just doesn't add up," pondered Marinette. "I mean, there's an Akuma popping up near me, or near Adrien, and then there's just plain TARGETING. I know Hawkmoth probably doesn't like our beating his villains over and over, but that was just _mean_."

"I hate to say it," reminded Tikki, "but there is one thing that was different this time... the public knowing that Ladybug and Adrien are a couple. I don't know about that making Hawkmoth mad, but maybe it drew too much of his attention."

"Yeah," Marinette said, sadly. "I just can't put Adrien in danger just because he's close to me. This time we won, but a villain only has to get lucky once, and if he got hurt it would break my heart in two." She curled into a ball on her bed. "But now what are we going to do? I can't just put the public genie back in the bottle."

"It's not impossible... if you're clever about it," Tikki mused. "Two young lovebirds can find a way more often than not. But the first thing you have to do is talk with Adrien about it! I'd bet he's thought about this, too."

"I hope so." Picking up her phone, Marinette logged in as Dottie and sent Adrien a message: "Let's get together tonight and talk. You free around 9?"

"Should be," came the reply. "Where should we meet?"

"I'll text you when I'm ready. Love you."

"Love you too."

 _That gives me the afternoon to figure out how not to break both our hearts,_ Marinette thought.

* * *

Adrien paced around his room in the early evening. "Plagg, what should I do?" he asked.

"About what? Talk to me. I promise I'll be serious for once," replied Plagg.

So he did. He laid out his frustrations about their secret identity dance, his fears that going public put both them and their friends in danger, his absolute need to keep Ladybug in his life. He hinted at his growing feelings for Marinette and how conflicted they were making him.

 _No kidding, kid,_ Plagg thought to himself. _You fell for Ladybug both in and out of costume? Who could've seen that coming?_

"First off, I kinda have to agree. Find a way to take the heat off for a while, go back under the radar. On a blanket in the woods counts as under the radar, in case that worried you."

"I can't say that it... didn't come to mind," Adrien blushed. "Keep going."

"As for Marinette..." _Since I can't tell you the one thing that'd solve this whole problem..._ "You have one option. Go talk to her."

"Like, right now?"

"Like, right now. I mean, see if she's home first. But Ladybug's coming to talk out where you stand in, like, three hours, right? Well, I know one person in the world who knows what Ladybug's thinking AND who Chat Noir can talk to about anything. Get some intel. Go into talking with Ladybug prepared. Maybe even figure out some of what Marinette thinks about you."

"That's... actually really good advice, Plagg," Adrien said. "I'm impressed."

"A few thousand years, you pick up a few things," Plagg grinned. "Come on, kid. Get your ears on."

* * *

A few minutes later, Chat Noir was perched on the balcony where he'd planned his romantic evening with Ladybug long ago, scoping out Marinette's balcony. He didn't see her out there, but the lights were on in her room.

He reached for his phone. _MY costume has POCKETS,_ he thought with a grin. _Not that Ladybug's being form-fitting is a bad thing, though..._

Inside, Marinette's phone buzzed. She saw a message from a strange ID she hadn't seen before...

"Knock-knock, Princess. Do you have a few minutes for a neighborhood stray cat?"

"You might have the wrong number," came the reply.

"Only if this isn't a purrfectly adorable design student who might want to check her balcony."

There was a pause. The next reply came: "Chaton? Only you could be that corny. I'll be right up."

* * *

Marinette opened the hatch and ascended, finding Chat perched on the balcony rail. "Hi, kitty! Can't say that I was expecting that message..."

"Well, Adrien mentioned that he and Ladybug set up separate IDs so they could talk privately, so I figured, what the heck. That way I can bug you whenever I want, and see if you're home before I plop down on your roof. One of these times your mother's going to climb up instead and take ten years off my life."

"You've got nine of those, so can't you spare some?" smiled Marinette. "Besides, she likes you. As long as you don't try to climb INTO my room at night."

"Which would have YOU removing some of those lives. I'm smarter than that. Usually."

The friends pulled up two chairs, facing each other. "So what's on your mind, Chat?"

"A bunch of stuff, actually. First off, I'm glad you got out of the mess at that restaurant last night. That was really cool of you to help Ladybug out like that, and Adrien was blown away that you did that and that you stayed with him."

"Yeah, he called me after. He was SO sweet on the phone. Even more than usual. And thank YOU for watching over him for me!"

"No problem," Adrien said. "All part of the job. Plus he's my partner's boyfriend AND he's a great guy."

"A really great guy," smiled Marinette absently. _Well, I didn't MEAN to dangle that as bait, but since she bit at it..._

"From what he tells me, you two HAVE gotten a lot closer lately, talking a lot more... I know that he's really happy about that."

"We have! And that's wonderful that he feels that way. I'm just as happy. I've wanted that for a long time."

"Do you think he's the right guy for Ladybug?" Chat ventured. _I'm on d_ _angerous ground here._

"She sure seems to think so! From everything she's told me, they can't get enough of each other. He's handsome, he's kind, he's down-to-earth, he's got sweetness he hasn't even used yet..." Chat watched, with more than a little bit of wonder, as Marinette approached her melting point describing Adrien. _Verrrrry interesting._

Abruptly, she realized what she was saying and snapped, "HEY! Did he put you up to asking that?"

"N-no! I mean... why would he do that?"

"Ladybug's still crazy about him, if you're asking that as his wingman," Marinette glared, "though I don't know why he would have any doubts."

"No, it's not that at all..." _Whoops! Time to back off._ "I worry about my partner, naturally. They do seem completely happy together, and that's awesome."

"Yeah. Though..." She trailed off. "I am wondering a little if their going public with their romance was a good idea."

"I wondered that myself," agreed Chat. "I mean, they shouldn't HAVE to hide it. But that was a crazy scene last night. I know Adrien doesn't want people like you caught in the crossfire. I know _I_ don't, either."

"You're both sweet," beamed Marinette. "And I know Ladybug doesn't want Adrien with a target on his back, either. I hope they can figure this out."

"Yeah." _Time for one last bit of fishing_. _If Marinette's seeing someone, that removes all of my temptation._ "Speaking of dating, how's your love life going lately?"

Marinette turned crimson, instantly. "WHO did you hear that from?" she demanded.

"Hear what?" Chat protested, innocently.

"Ohhhh... you got me in so much trouble the other night," Marinette began, embarrassed. "You remember when you came over and talked the other night, and I hugged you goodnight over there?"

"Of course."

"My friend Alya saw us hugging. And then she confronted me about it, and Ladybug was nearby, and I messed up my story, and I didn't want to blow anyone's secret identity by accident, and it got really complicated and, um..." Now Marinette was curled into a ball on her chair.

"Go on..."

"Alya kinda thinks that you and I went on a double-date with Ladybug and Adrien. And that we kissed. And that we were, uh, kinda dating a little bit," she finished in her very best _if I say this quietly enough we can both pretend that I never said it_ voice.

* * *

Chat Noir was speechless. That was about twenty miles southeast of anything he'd ever expected to hear. "We, uh... what?" he managed.

"I KNOW! It wasn't my idea! I was helping Ladybug protect her secret and that was more important! It was complicated!" Marinette stammered. "I told her we decided we were better off as friends. I said you were a really good kisser; that should help your reputation."

"She's... not putting it on her BLOG, is she?"

"Oh no. She swore it would never leave the room and I _think_ I convinced her that it was a one-time thing. The only problem is now I can't stop her from meowing at me."

"Bahahahaha!" Chat laughed loudly. Inside, he was in hysterics. _THAT explains what I kept hearing in class!_

"I mean, it's ridiculous, right? The idea that you and I would get caught dating, or making out up here on my balcony..." Marinette said, giggling.

Chat's face got serious, and he leaned forward intently. "...But what if it wasn't?" he asked.

Another silent moment, and Marinette giggled louder, remembering how he got her with that the other night. Then her laughter slowed down, gradually.

 _Chat... isn't really... laughing. Why isn't Chat laughing?_

* * *

Under the costume, Adrien had a sudden, very strange, very un-Adrien-ish thought.

 _What IF it wasn't?_

Very slowly, he got up out of his chair, never breaking eye contact.

 _Marinette is sweet and caring and wonderful. And really cute, too. And I haven't been able to get her out of my mind lately._

Chat walked towards Marinette at a slow and deliberate pace, their gaze still locked. Her laughing slowed, then stopped.

 _She's told me that she's been pining for her Mystery Guy for a long time. She's been pretty lonely._ _We trust each other._

Chat knelt in front of her. Her eyes went huge. A little part of his mind noted that, despite her shock, she showed no signs of protesting.

 _Would it be so terrible if that WASN'T so ridiculous?_

Inches away from her face, Chat smiled, very warmly, and whispered to Marinette...

* * *

"Gotcha."

Both Chat and Marinette erupted in laughter. "YOU!" howled Marinette. "For a moment there..."

 _As if I could ever live with myself if I cheated on anyone, much less Ladybug!_ Chat thought, as he watched Marinette try to regain her composure.

"Oh, you are BAD, Chat Noir," she accused him, still giggling. "SO bad. I guess I deserved that for what I said."

 _You deserve so much better, Marinette. You really, really do. And I need to think hard about where that thought came from._

* * *

"So as much fun as that look on your face was..." Chat smirked, then softened to a more normal smile. "WOULD that help cover Ladybug's identity, somehow? I'm trying to figure out how it would. I mean, if you need me to pretend that I'm infatuated with you, we could have a lot of fun with that. But it's the same thing as with Ladybug and Adrien - if we were public about it, I'd be putting you in a lot of danger."

"No, no, definitely not public. One person saw me hug you and it started a fire, I don't want a few million witnesses. And, um, no, I don't think we NEED to pretend anything. I covered for it pretty well," Marinette said nervously. "But thank you for offering. I think. I'll keep your application on file."

"Or anything else I can do to help you. There's not much I wouldn't do for you, Marinette," he purred.

"I know. You're so good to me," Marinette smiled back.

"The kissing parts are no problem, either. I hear that I'm a really good kisser."

"Stop, you!" Marinette's smile was all the way back. "Hugs I can handle," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "Just, let's do that _away_ from street view for a while."

Chat returned the friendly hug. It really did feel right having Marinette in his arms, for any reason.

* * *

Around nine, Marinette gathered her willpower. This wasn't going to be her favorite conversation of the week coming up, but it was necessary.

"Am I doing the right thing, Tikki?" she asked.

Tikki nuzzled her cheek. "I know you will. Though I am curious... what are you going to tell him?"

"Oh..." Marinette looked pensive. "Definitely that Ladybug and Adrien need to step out of the spotlight for a while. I don't think that'll get much argument. After that... um... I have a few ideas. We'll see just how brave I can be."

"Spots on!"

* * *

Adrien stared at his phone, anxiously. 9:00... 9:00... still 9:00... 9:01... 9:01...

His phone buzzed with a new message. "Are you ready, sweetie?"

"Sure. Where are you?"

"Look at your window."

He turned and saw Ladybug sitting on his bedroom window with a big smile, swinging her legs gently.

"Sneaking into my boyfriend's bedroom at night! If my mother could see me now..."

Adrien climbed up to meet her, put his arm around her and let him swing him up and out. "Let's go out to the park," she said. "It's a lovely night."

They found a park bench away from everyone, kissed for a few minutes, and then Ladybug said what she needed to say.

* * *

"So... I wanted to thank you for what was still a wonderful and romantic night last night," Ladybug began. "It... may have been the strangest night of my life, too." Both of them laughed at that.

"It wasn't... EXACTLY how I'd planned it," agreed Adrien. "But I'm still glad I shared it with you."

"Me too. But it did get me thinking about a lot of things, and I do think we ought to talk about them."

Adrien said, "No time like the present," but his face fell. He didn't have a lot of relationship experience, but he knew that "we need to talk" rarely ends well.

Ladybug took a deep breath. "Adrien... as wonderful as you are... this is going to be really difficult to make a relationship work, and it's not because of you. Because of this," gesturing at her costume, "my life gets really crazy. I feel like I'll be putting you in danger all the time, and if something bad happened to you it would tear me apart."

"That's my choice to make," Adrien said. "I didn't ask you out expecting you to hang up your spots."

"And I don't want to. But I don't want to give you up either. So..." Ladybug gathered her strength. "Would it be okay if we dialed things back some, and kept out of the public eye together for a while?"

Adrien smiled, but she saw he was straining inside. "I was... thinking something similar. We need to keep ourselves and our friends safe... But I just can't lose you, Ladybug."

Ladybug saw a few tears starting to well up in his eyes, and knelt in front of him. "Hey! Hey, LOOK at me. Listen. This is NOT me breaking up with you. No way. Not at all. Don't you start crying or I'm going to bawl my eyes out, and I don't want to make this a sad thing," she insisted.

"I know," he replied, "it shouldn't be."

"I want you in my life. I NEED you in my life. I need you to message me and email me and chat with me and be part of my world as much as we can. I want to go places with you, do things with you, just the two of us. Don't you think for one second that I can live my life without Adrien Agreste and be happy." That brought his smile back, most of the way.

"And believe me, once in a while you just might be grabbed by a yo-yo, dragged somewhere private and kissed 'til neither one of us can speak." She gave him a raised eyebrow and a sly smile as his face went "Ohhhh..."

"But..." Ladybug took a breath. _This was a big but._

"...if we're keeping it private, there are a lot of things that you and I just can't do together. I want to bring you home, cook you dinner, have you meet my parents. I want to spend lazy Sundays with you just hanging out in the park or walking through the city. I want to hold your hand in front of all our friends. I want to go on dates with you that don't trend on Twitter. I want to know that I can just BE with you and not worry that a giant glowing lobster's going to try to take our heads off. I want all of that so bad, but these spots get in the way. And I can't give those up either."

Now Ladybug was on the verge of tears. "Ohhh... I told myself I was going to hold it together..."

"Do you get where I'm coming from, Adrien? I'm still crazy about you! That's never going to change. I will always be close to you. THAT's never going to change. I will never tell you 'Goodbye.' But maybe we should slow it down, put a little distance between us, and let our lives calm down a little. I don't know that Paris can stay standing if we go all out right now."

Adrien leaned against her. "I do understand that. I don't want to hear it... but I understand it. And, like I said, I was thinking along the same lines even if I didn't want to say it out loud." He took a deep breath of his own. "I've seen you... straining to keep your two lives separate. Having to hide your normal self from me, and I TOTALLY GET WHY! I don't want you to feel bad about that. But it's tough on you. That's obvious, and I'm adding to that."

"I want you to be happy with me. But most of all, I just want you to be happy," he smiled. "I want to be part of what makes you happy. So if we have to slow down and wait to make that possible, I'm okay with that."

Ladybug threw her arms around him, and they held each other for a long while. _Okay, we got to where we needed to get most. Now comes the really tough part,_ she thought.

* * *

"I need you to be happy too. So as weird as this is going to sound... I don't want to ask you to sit and wait for me forever, either," added Ladybug.

Adrien gave her a very confused look.

"I don't mean, run out and throw yourself at the first girl you see. If I see you making out with Chloe, rest assured that you WILL get an earful. I have eyes in that school, mister," threatened Ladybug, giggling.

"But being Ladybug is always going to be... really complicated. All those things I was talking about are big parts of a real relationship... I don't know when I can commit to any of those as Ladybug. If I ever can." She swallowed hard before saying the most difficult part.

"If you find someone who has a... more normal life... who means a lot to you, it won't hurt my feelings if you get close to her, if you two do the things that I wish I could with you. I don't want you to miss out on those things. You deserve them. As long as I'm still a part of your life," Ladybug said, her voice quavering a little. "But doing that is completely up to you. I'll never push you away, but I also won't tie you down to a girl who has to hide behind a costume. I won't."

 _If you love someone, set him free..._

"As if there's anyone else in the world who could take your place," whispered Adrien. "The hardest part is that I know how close we are to how it COULD work, for real."

"We are?"

Adrien gave her a sympathetic look. "We know each other in your secret identity. You told me that. You don't need a mask and costume for me to love you. But I know that I can't ask you to tell me who the other you really is."

 _Oh, no. No, no, no,_ Ladybug thought. _The one thing I prayed you wouldn't say. Because now I have the power to say two little words and make this all work out and I can't say them._

She laid her head on his shoulder, eyes closed, trying not to cry. _Just say it!,_ part of her screamed out. _Spots off. Spots off. SPOTS OFF! SPOTS OFF! That's all it takes! SPOTS OFF! Say it and Adrien is yours forever! SAY IT! SPOTS OFF!_

"I want to... so much. I know I can trust you. But I just... can't," she whispered.

"I know. I know." Adrien held her close, caressing her head gently.

* * *

Ladybug faltered for a moment, trying to muster up the courage to say what her heart was truly aching to say. _Do I stop there?_ she thought. _Or do I take the biggest chance of them all?_

Months of hesitation and doubt and fear screamed at her to stop. Her heart screamed _DO IT!_ as loud as it could.

 _If I don't do it now, I never, ever will_.

"Adrien, I can't tell you who I really am. But I c-can... tell you the kind of girl that I truly hope you'll find. Like, um..." She closed her eyes tight.

"There's this girl I know... a good friend of mine... and she's been lovesick for a very long time." _Oh GOD I am saying this out loud._ Once it started, it all spilled out at once.

"She has a guy friend, and he's a really good friend to her, and she's really happy to just be close to him but she is so... she just adores him. She loves him so much and she doesn't know how to make it stop and she doesn't want it to. And she just can't tell him herself. She just can't. Someone like her would be... so good to you. So good _for_ you."

A tear ran down her cheek. "And I'm shoving someone else at you like she's a consolation prize, and I'm sorry, and I'm pathetic, and forget what I just said. You need to find who's right for you."

 _There. It's as out as it can ever be._

Adrien looked thoughtful. He leaned forward and kissed Ladybug's cheek, gently, wiping the tear away. "No, you're not pathetic. Never, ever. You're wanting what's best for me and I love you for that."

He paused before adding, "And I'm not sure if you're saying what I... think you might be saying. I don't need to know that for sure. But you are telling me something I've needed to hear for a very long time."

"I... am?"

"Yeah. I know you are. Something I should have known all along. For some strange reason, I couldn't see straight for a long time. Must've been those spots in my eyes."

She leaned against him, holding mixed emotions in tightly. "So... are we good?" she asked.

"I'm with you, aren't I?" said Adrien. She looked up and hugged him tight.

"This isn't goodbye. It'll never be goodbye. I love you, Adrien."

"I won't let it be. I love you, too."

* * *

After dropping Adrien back off at home, Ladybug kept moving. Partly because if she stopped she was afraid that she would collapse, and partly because she knew what she needed to do next. She knew the Parisian press well and planned on using that to her advantage.

She spotted a TV news crew setting up for a human interest story and decided they'd be a perfect messenger. She dropped out of the sky nearby, landed and made a show of looking around. "You guys didn't see an Akuma fly by, did you?" she asked. "I'm not SURE that I saw one, but if there is one I don't want to let it get away."

"I haven't seen one, Ladybug. BUT while we have you here... can you comment on rumors that you're romantically involved with fashion model Adrien Agreste?"

Ladybug smiled a guileless smile, or at least she hoped it was. "Oh, Adrien! Some mutual friends introduced us. Someone saw us together?"

The reporter coughed slightly. "You could say that. We had full coverage of the chaos at Chez Coûteux."

"We did spend some time together recently, but we are keeping things friendly. He is quite handsome, so charming, and he was a perfect gentleman, but I'm not looking to get romantically involved with anyone right now. I do hope we'll see each other again, though!"

"Thank you, Ladyb-"

"Whoops! I think I see the Akuma flying over that building. Bug out!"

"This has been Channel 14 News, with an exclusive report on Ladybug... Back to you, Rusty."

* * *

Adrien was restless. He watched the news play Ladybug's impromptu interview, and she made him smile even while she made him hurt inside.

Oh, he agreed with Ladybug on the most important thing - no matter how strong his feelings for Ladybug were and vice versa, things were spiraling out of control and their different worlds would always be an obstacle. But going back to hiding was a big step backwards, and no matter what else she'd said, he'd also heard Ladybug letting him go as gently as she possibly could. She would always be a dear friend, and they could steal a little more than that sometimes if they wanted to, but their circumstances just wouldn't allow what they both really wanted.

And that wound might not heal quickly.

Part of him kicked himself for not just saying CLAWS OUT! and showing her, once and for all, that she wasn't putting him in any danger... but he knew that he couldn't just do that any more than she could reveal her identity. That just wasn't in the cards.

 _Maybe she'll be more receptive to me as Chat Noir now,_ he thought. _She turned Chat down because she wanted to be with someone else, and that's... over now. I guess._ But that had its own obvious drawbacks; in some ways it was WORSE as far as secret identity drama went. They could be together but couldn't tell each other who either of them really were. Desperately romantic at its core, sure, but disastrous for all those real-relationship things Ladybug had talked about. And when he came right down to it... yeah, he wanted all those things too. The odds were pretty good that she'd turn him down as Chat for the same reasons she'd let him go as Adrien. Especially now.

But then there was... the last thing. The one that was turning his mind into banana pudding.

Did Ladybug just tell him who she really was? Or was she giving him permission to be with someone else? If she was... should he even consider it? Was Ladybug letting go of him, telling him to move on, or desperately begging him to come find her? Should he chase what he knew he could have - a red-and-black whirlwind that couldn't be caged, whom he could only share scattered moments with, but whom he loved and who loved him? Or should he go where he knew Ladybug had been pointing him, and take her at her word that Marinette was a mystery well worth solving?

He closed his eyes and concentrated. Bluebell eyes floated across his mind once more. This time, he knew their owner.

* * *

Marinette sat in her room around six o'clock, eyes closed, replaying the last two weeks in her head. _I had everything I ever wanted and I just let him go_ , she thought. _Even if it was absolutely necessary, I feel... empty._

Though there were certainly wonderful memories, too. She did smile remembering walking to Andre's hand-in-hand, the first nervous meeting on the roof, the nights curled up on the blanket in the clearing... the look on Adrien's face as she descended to meet him at the restaurant. Those were unforgettable, and really - she hadn't LOST him, had she? She still had his email, his messenger, his friendship, his place in her life as Ladybug. She could still enjoy all of that; she just had to hide it all away like none of it was really happening.

That was the whole point of today, wasn't it? To keep him in her heart but also keep him safe. And then she had to run her mouth like a lovesick fool and maybe scare him away from her as Marinette for good.

"Marinette!", her mother called from downstairs. "You have a visitor!"

 _Great,_ she thought. _Another round of telling Alya that I don't have the hots for Chat Noir._ "Can you tell her to come up?" she hollered.

"I think you'll want to come down this time," she said, with a strange lilt to her voice.

 _I do?_ Marinette came down the stairs, a little confused, and gasped slightly when she saw Adrien at the front door, waving shyly.

* * *

"Adrien! Hi! This is a surprise," she said, coming out to meet him. He led her over to a nearby bench, and they sat down together.

"So... I talked to Ladybug," Marinette ventured. "She told me that you two hit the brakes. Are you okay, Adrien?"

"Mostly," he said. "It wasn't a bad breakup at all. We're definitely going to stay close friends and do things together, just not with the same... intensity."

 _Thank goodness,_ Marinette thought. _I got that much done right._

"That's good," she said. "I know she was petrified that she was going to hurt you if she pulled back."

"Well, it was amazing while it lasted, so it's going to hurt some. But it makes too much sense not to do it. I know you got to see firsthand how... insane it could get," Adrien said, apologetically.

"Yeah, but I got at least a salad course at Chez Coûteux out of it," grinned Marinette. "And a good friend in Ladybug, which is a little more important than that."

"About that..." Adrien turned a bit bashful. "Did Ladybug say... anything else about what we'd talked about?"

"Not... really?" Marinette's voice was tentative. "Anything interesting?"

"It interested me," he said. "Ladybug brought up a friend of hers and spoke very highly of her."

 _Here we go_ , Marinette thought, closing her eyes. _The it's-not-you-it's-me speech_.

"She said that her friend's been lovesick for a long time. That there was some dummy she fell for who took forever to notice how she was the sweetest girl he'd ever met, or how she puts everyone else's needs above her own. How her laugh is like music to his ears. Or how she has the most beautiful blue eyes he's ever seen. The kind of eyes he could lose himself in if he's not careful."

Those blue eyes reopened. They opened very, very wide.

"Actually, that wasn't her saying those last few parts. That was me," he said, smiling. "But I meant every word."

"She's not just a rebound from Ladybug, is she?" asked Marinette, turning to face him, a hint of hope in her voice.

"I'm pretty sure of two things," Adrien said. "She's always been there for me, but in the last few weeks when she's opened up to me, I've gotten to know her even better and she's been irresistible. I can't get her out of my mind."

"And the other thing?"

"That she's NOBODY'S consolation prize. She's adorable and amazing and beautiful all on her own."

"You really mean it, Adrien?" breathed Marinette.

"And a third thing! I almost forgot. I'm pretty sure that I would love a nice, long walk with her tonight to go get some of Andre's ice cream. No pressure, no rush, and I HOPE no Akumas... You hear that, Hawkmoth?" he called out, getting a laugh from Marinette. "Just a regular guy with a girl who's stolen his heart."

He reached out his hand to her. "If she'd like that?"

"She really, really would." Her hand slipped into his as if made to fit.

The pair got up and started walking slowly together, holding hands, in the general direction of the last Andre sighting along the Champs-Élysées.

Adrien stole glances at Marinette as they walked quietly, both grinning their heads off.

 _Did I really find my Ladybug? Maybe I'll never find out for sure._

He watched the love sparkling in Marinette's eyes.

 _But I did find my Marinette. And that's all I'll ever need to know._

~fin~


End file.
